Army intensifies offensives vs IS gunmen in Lanao del Norte

KUTA SANG-AN, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR — The regional Army command based here has ordered an intensification of pressure against members of the Islamic State-linked Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) group in Lanao del Norte.

Major General Gabriel Viray III, commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, made the order amid recent battlefield gains against the terrorists who are operating in the border communities of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

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He said that the Army “is dedicated to protecting the community and will persist in its efforts to counteract threats to regional stability.”

On Thursday, three DI gunmen were killed in a clash with soldiers of the 44th Infantry Battalion in Matampay village of Munai, Lanao del Norte.

Col. Billy dela Rosa, deputy commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said the encounter broke out past 5 p.m.

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Three soldiers were wounded in the clash, Dela Rosa added. They are now recuperating at a hospital in Iligan City and the Camp Evangelista station hospital in Cagayan de Oro City.