MANILA: Philippine security forces announced on Wednesday that they had eliminated the leader of Daesh in Southeast Asia during a raid on his hideout in the country’s southern region.
The individual identified as Faharudin Hadji Benito Satar, also known as Faharudin Pumbaya Pangalian or Abu Zacharia, served as the chief of Dawlah Islamiyah, a militant group responsible for carrying out bombings and other deadly attacks in the southern Philippines. The group pledged allegiance to Daesh in 2015.
According to the Western Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which has jurisdiction over the southern region, Abu Zacharia was killed during an operation in Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur province, in the early hours of Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, the chief of the Western Mindanao Command, stated, “Abu Zacharia, Amir of the Daulah Islamiyah-Philippines and Overall Amir of the Islamic State-East Asia, was successfully neutralized after resisting arrest during a joint law enforcement operation conducted at his safe house in Barangay Bangon, Marawi City,” referring to Daesh as an Islamic State organization.
This development is regarded as a significant breakthrough in the campaign against Dawlah Islamiyah, and it is expected to weaken the IS-inspired group in the area of operation, according to Galido.
In a subsequent pursuit operation in the same area, security forces also eliminated another high-ranking member of Abu Zacharia’s group, identified as Joharie Sandap, also known as Mursid, who served as the finance and logistics officer for Dawlah Islamiyah. Recovered from his possession were one M16 rifle, one Glock pistol, and explosive ordnance.
Dawlah Islamiyah Activities in Philippine
Dawlah Islamiyah, also known as the Maute group, was one of the organizations that, along with the Abu Sayyaf Group, a separate Daesh affiliate, took control of the city of Marawi in 2017. The Philippine army, after five months of intense fighting and widespread destruction, successfully reclaimed the city and eliminated the main leadership of both groups.
Following the battle, however, attacks continued to surge in the country, with Daesh becoming a major cause for concern. In 2018, the US Department of State designated Daesh-Philippines as a foreign terrorist organization, reflecting the apprehension that the Middle East-originated group was expanding its operations in Southeast Asia.
Consequently, the Philippine military intensified its crackdown on all Daesh affiliates within the country. Notably, in 2019, they eliminated Owayda Benito Marohombsar, also known as Abu Dar, in Tuburan near Marawi. Abu Dar had assumed leadership of Dawlah Islamiyah following the deaths of Maute group leaders Omar and Abdullah Maute during the 2017 Marawi operation. Another top Dawlah Islamiyah leader, Salahuddin Hassan, was killed in Talayan, Maguindanao province, in October 2021.
