ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Military hunts remnants of Dawlah Islamiyah after top bomb expert slain in Maguindanao

Military hunts remnants of Dawlah Islamiyah after top bomb expert slain in Maguindanao

Published Dec 8, 2025 09:22 am
(Courtesy of 6th Infantry Division)
(Courtesy of 6th Infantry Division)
The military said Monday, Dec. 8, that it was pursuing the remaining members of the Dawlah Islamiyah–Hassan Group (DI-HG) following the death of its most senior leader and top bomb expert in an operation in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, Dec. 7.
Ustads Mohammad Usman Solaiman, known as the “amir” or leader of the DI-HG, was killed in an encounter with elements of the 601st Infantry Brigade (601Bde) in Barangay Satan, according to Brigadier General Edgar Catu, commander of the 601Bde.
Solaiman, a seasoned bomb maker and nephew of notorious Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) BIFF bomb expert Basit Usman, was long tagged as one of the most dangerous operatives in Central Mindanao.
According to the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), Solaiman and Norodin Hassan, alias Andot, who serves as the group’s amir for military affairs, were among the last senior lieutenants of former DI-HG leader Abu Azim, who was killed in 2021.
Solaiman’s group had been linked to multiple high-profile attacks in Mindanao including the April 2022 bombing of a Rural Tours Bus in Parang, Maguindanao that injured six passengers; the twin explosions targeting Yellow Bus Line units in Koronadal City, South Cotabato and Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat in May 2022; the November 2022 bus bombing in Tacurong; the Husky Bus bombing at Isulan Integrated Terminal in April 2023; the ambush of soldiers in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan; and the killing of three goat traders from Batangas in May this year.
Catu said the operation succeeded with the help of residents who reported the presence of armed men in their community.
“Ang kooperasyon ng taumbayan ang naging daan upang matukoy ang galaw at lokasyon ng grupo. Dahil dito ay matagumpay na naisagawa ang operasyon laban sa pinuno ng Dawlah Islamiya (The cooperation of the community made it possible to track the group’s movements and location. Because of this, the operation against the Dawlah Islamiyah leader was successfully carried out),” he said.
Major General Jose Vladimir R. Cagara, commander 6ID and Joint Task Force Central, lauded the coordination between soldiers and local residents. He noted that the latest strike weakened the network of Dawlah Islamiyah in the region.
“This success shows that when the community, our soldiers, and other government security forces work together, no terrorist can hide from the law. We are deeply grateful to our fellow citizens for consistently providing accurate information to JTF Central,” he stressed.
He urged remaining DI-HG members to surrender and take government assistance for reintegration.
“I also urge the remaining members of Dawlah Islamiya to lay down their arms. The government is ready to help you start a new life with your families. The door to peace is always open to those who choose to change,” he added.

Related Tags

Dawlah Islamiyah 6ID AFP military
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.