The death of Khadafi Mimbesa alias "Engineer", the alleged amir or commander of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG), is a "decisive blow" to the terrorist group as they are now on the brink of collapse after apparently suffering from a leadership vacuum, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

But how did the AFP penetrated the cells of the DI-MG, considered as one of the most sophisticated militant and terror groups in the country in the likes of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and New People's Army (NPA), and neutralized its leader? 

It turns out that one of the keys was Membisa's right hand man -- Arsani Membisa alias "Khatab". 

Engineer's plan

Late last year, the AFP launched successful counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State-linked DI-MG and other allied terror groups as part of intensified efforts to eliminate their threat in the country.

From Dec. 1 to the wee hours of Dec. 3, the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) slain 12 DI-MG members including Abdullah Sapal, who at the time was the designated "amir" or leader of the DI-MG, in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur; Abu Sayyaf Group leader Mudzimar Sawadjaan alias "Mundi" in Basilan, a notorious bomb-maker and the pinpointed brains behind the Jolo Cathedral bombings in Sulu in 2019 which killed 20 people and injured 102 others; and Alandoni Macadaya Lucsadatu alias "Lando" and "Abu Shams", the DI-MG sub-leader.

The setback apparently prompted DI-MG to hatch a plan to avenge the death of their commander and key sub-leaders by bombing the Mindanao State University, AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. ahd said in an interview. Eventually, Mimbesa rose to the rank as the next amir of the DI-MG.

The codename Engineer was apparently given to Mimbesa as he was the one who plans and orchestrates the group's attacks.

"Engineer has good leadership [skills] and sympathy with his comrades," Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The military had expected that the DI-MG will retaliate after the death of its leaders so troops in Mindanao were already alerted, according to Padilla.

But with a renewed faith on their new commander, the bomb attack at the MSU was carried out swiftly by the DI-MG and it was completed around one hour: from 6:09 a.m. to 7:11 a.m. on Dec. 3 while Christian worshippers were attending an Advent mass at the Dimaporo Gymnasium. In the said incident, four people died and 72 others were wounded.

After the bomb attack at MSU, the AFP conducted pursuit operations against the DI-MG as the military believes they were the ones who masterminded it.

The military launched another series of counter-terrorism operations against the DI-MG on Jan. 25 to 26 in Piagapo, Lanao del Sur which killed nine terrorists and critically wounded two others.

Of the slain DI-MG terrorists, the AFP confirmed that there were three who were directly involved in the MSU bombing: Abdul Hadi alias "Hodi Imam and Adbay'n", a bomb expert who assembled the improvised explosive device (IED) used in the attack; Saumay Saiden alias "Omar", a sub-leader of MI-DG who rigged and detonated the IED; and Mimbesa, who succumbed to gunshot wounds to the body days after the Lanao del Sur operations.

"Multiple sources reported that Mimbesa was wounded during the encounter in Lanao del Sur on 25 to 26 January 2024. He eventually died of his wounds sometime between January 28 to 30," Padilla said.

Khatab's surrender

However, the death of Mimbesa was only confirmed after the surrender of Arsani Membisa alias "Khatab", the deputy amir of the DI-MG, to personnel of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion on Feb. 11 -- nearly two weeks since the operations in Lanao del Sur.

"Khatab [has] wide network in Lanao del Norte due to family ties and [his] strong personality greatly affected the group's ability to operate," Padilla said.

During interrogation, Khatab issued statements which corroborated the initial information on the death of Membisa, according to Padilla, although the commander's body was never recovered by the military.

"In Muslim rites, they have to bury the body within 24 hours so with that, we cannot really say that we have the body. But all of the details that we got corroborate with the same information that he already succumbed to his wounds," Padilla said.

"The Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group is already on a brink of collapse following a series of decisive military and joint law enforcement operations, particularly against the leadership and perpetrators of the MSU IED bombing," she added.

She said the AFP is continuously pursuing the remaining members of the DI-MG as a total of 12 DI-MG members were killed, three surrendered, and three others were arrested as of Feb. 12.

"Overall, the intelligence and decisive military operation greatly hampered the DI-MG's capability to carry out another act of terrorism that could instill fear and initimidation in the community," Padilla said.