Philippine forces kill 10 militants linked to Marawi siege group

MANILA, April 17 — Philippine security forces killed 10 alleged Islamist militants today after they resisted arrest in a clash in the country’s south, police said.

The firefight took place in a Muslim-majority area of the mainly Catholic nation, where remnants of Islamic State-linked groups remain active.

Among those killed was Amerol Mangoranca, leader of the Maute-Dawlah Islamiya group, according to a regional police report.

Security forces had arrived near Marantao before dawn to serve arrest warrants for murder, homicide and kidnapping. The operation sparked an hour-long gun battle involving members of the group, including Mangoranca’s wife and three other women. An infant was later found unharmed, a military report said.

Authorities said no casualties were reported among government forces, and weapons and explosives were recovered.

The military added that the group is suspected of involvement in a January attack that killed four soldiers. Officials said the slain militants were part of the same network behind the 2017 Marawi siege, a five-month battle that left over 1,000 dead and devastated the southern city. — AFP