ISIS spox for East Asia killed in Maguindanao military op

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COTABATO CITY – Soldiers under the military-led Joint Task Force Central (JTFC) neutralized the alleged spokesperson of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for East Asia (ISIS-EA) during a special operation in Maguindanao, the military said Tuesday.

A JTFC report to Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr. identified the fatality as Abdulfatah Omar Alimuden, also known as “Abu Huzaifah.”

Tagged as the spokesperson of ISIS-East Asia, Alimuden was neutralized by state forces during an operation on Monday afternoon in Barangay Poblacion, Datu Saudi Ampatuan.

Rosario said elements of the 601st Infantry Brigade, 40th Infantry Battalion, and Army intelligence units conducted the special operation.

“Aside from being the spokesperson of the ISIS-EA, Abu Huzaifah was also in charge of the financial transactions of the Dawlah Islamiya (DI)-Philippines to the ISIS Central,” Rosario said, citing intelligence reports.

 The operation against Alimuden was carried out a week after the JTFC conducted air and ground assaults on ISIS-inspired DI terrorists in Datu Salibo town, next to Datu Saudi Ampatuan where he was killed.

Two Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) fighters, an ISIS-inspired local terrorist organization, were killed during the encounter, while government troops recovered high-powered firearms and explosives.

According to the military, Alimuden had been disguising himself as Ustadz Abdulfattah Omar Abdulmaguid, a 32-year-old businessman residing in Talayan town, Maguindanao. (PNA)