MANILA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government said on Friday its troops captured a base of a terrorist group in Lanao del Sur province of the southern Mindanao island and killed three terrorists.
Colonel Romeo Brawner of the Philippine Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade said the troops gained control of a camp after "an intense gunfight" with 24 extremists belonging to the Maute group on Thursday. The terror group is believed to be led by Abu Dar, he added.
The location of the camp is about 50 km from Marawi City.
Brawner said the fighting lasted 10 hours, killing three terrorists. Three soldiers were also wounded in the assault.
He said civilians tipped off the presence of the terrorists in the area, prompting the troops to launch an assault on Wednesday night.
"Despite the enemy's advantage over the terrain, our troops were able to gain ground and managed to penetrate their defensive lines through timely and accurate supporting fires," Brawner said.
The seizure of the base will further weaken the terror group, according to the military.
After the failed attempt of the Maute group to establish a caliphate in Lanao del Sur province, Brawner said villagers around Lake Lanao have become aware of the impact of violent extremism to the community.
Brawner said the group is no longer capable of mounting large-scale attacks against the military. However, he said the group can still manage to pull off "spoiling attacks to retaliate."
Abu Dhar is allegedly the new leader of the Maute ISIS group. The government offers a 6-million-peso (113,644-U.S. dollar) bounty for his capture.
Lanao del Sur province on Mindanao island is under martial rule. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law on the island since Maute group attacked Marawi City in May 2017.
From May to October 2017, terrorist organizations that pledged support to Islamic State including the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Maute Group, and others occupied and held the lakeside Marawi City in the southern Philippines.
Security forces ultimately cleared the city and eliminated much of the terrorist leadership, including the Maute brothers who founded the militant group called the Islamic State Ranao.
At least 1,200 people, including soldiers and terrorists, were killed in the Marawi siege that lasted from May to October of 2017, which also flattened the city's business center. The government is still in the process of rebuilding the city's central business district.
The congress has granted Duterte's three requests for martial law extension to quell the rebellion in the southern region. Martial law remains in the region until Dec. 31, 2019.
