Philippine security forces shoot dead 2 suspected terrorists

Philippine security forces say they have gunned down a foreign national and his female companion suspected of being linked to a militant group loyal to the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

Chief Superintendent Cedrick Train, a regional police director, said the incident occurred in the southern province of Sarangani on Saturday, when the pair refused to surrender and the foreigner, believed to be a Pakistani identified as Abu Naila, attempted to throw a grenade at police, prompting fire from the forces.

"Officers were forced to fire at the suspects when the grenade was lobbed at them," Train said, adding that the two suspects were killed as a police and military team was carrying out a provincial manhunt for members of Ansar Al-Khilafah Philippines (AKP), a small militant group that pledged alliance to Daesh some three years ago.

The AKP along with a handful other small militant groups, supporting Daesh, are blamed for years of unrest in the southern Philippines.

The incident occurred two days after Philippine police announced that the country’s security forces had managed to break the backbone of the AKP with gunning down its leader, identified as Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, and the arrest of three members of the group.

Manila says Maguid's group is responsible for a number of crimes ranging from arson and murder to bomb attacks.

The Philippines also suffers greatly from terrorist activities of larger groups, particularly Daesh-linked ultra-violent Abu Sayyaf organization, which has been engaged in criminal activities, including rape, kidnapping and drug trafficking, in what they describe as their battle for an independent province in the Philippines.

Since last August, thousands of troops have been deployed to southern territories after Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a massive military operation against Abu Sayyaf. However, fierce resistance by the militants has made it difficult for the military to make any tangible breakthrough.

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