Dawlah Islamiya chief killed

COTABATO CITY — Soldiers killed Mohammad Usman Sulaiman, the top leader of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya, in a brief clash in the village of Satan, in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, local officials said on Monday.

Mr. Sulaiman, who authorities said masterminded at least a dozen deadly bombings across Central Mindanao since 2015, was wanted for 37 high-profile criminal cases. Dubbed the group’s emir or chieftain, he was also linked to the May abduction and execution of three livestock dealers in Shariff Saydona Mustapha.

Army units from the 601^st Infantry Brigade were dispatched after villagers reported sightings of Mr. Sulaiman and his followers. Officials said the soldiers were ordered to arrest him peacefully, but a firefight broke out when Mr. Sulaiman’s group opened fire. His companions fled after he was killed.

Mr. Sulaiman reportedly trained in bomb-making under Indonesian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, killed by police in 2015, and was implicated in bomb attacks in Maguindanao del Norte, Tacurong, Koronadal and Sultan Kudarat from 2022 to 2023.

Brigadier General Edgar Catu and Police Brigadier General Jaysen De Guzman confirmed the operation successfully neutralized the high-profile terror figure. — John Felix M. Unson