Bravo’s group stripped

(Munai, Lanao del Norte, 9 October). In a report reaching the Advance Command Post (ACP) of the 104^th Infantry Brigade, elements of 32^nd Infantry Battalion recently engaged a band of the Lawless MILF Group (LMG) under Lumundaya Mabuntal aka Topsider in the early morning of 8 October at Barangay Maliwanag, Poona Piagapo of Lanao del Norte.

While no casualties were reported on the government side, blood stains were found in the encounter site. Recovered on the scene were freshly laundered MILF uniforms marked with Topsider and “DoubleBody”, the alias and radio call sign of Mabuntal, respectively. Also, recovered in the site were explosive components, and voluminous documents.

Mabuntal or Topsider, the most trusted henchman of Abdullah Macapaar aka Bravo, is responsible for the series of bombing of TRANSCO power line towers in the area. On the other hand, Bravo is being sought by authorities for masterminding the recent pillage and atrocities at the coastal towns of Lanao del Norte last 18 August.

In a separate tracking operations of the 10^th Infantry Battalion under the 104^th Infantry Brigade, home-made shotguns and various communications equipment at Barangay were also recovered in abandoned shelter sites of the lawless groups found in Barangay Tamparan of Munai in the same province.

“It is difficult to get immediate reports from my operating units considering their remote distance,” explains Colonel Benito T de Leon the Commander of 104^th Infantry Brigade, 1^st Infantry Division, Philippine Army. “That’s the reason why I had moved my ACP here at at Barangay Cadulawan, Munai, Lanao del Norte as it is closer to them,” he added. Cadulawan is considered as the gateway to Camp Bilal Complex which is the area once controlled by Bravo’s group. De Leon’s units have occupied the former campsites of Bravo within the complex and are now used as patrol bases.

The army commander assessed that the series of engagements and continuous law enforcement activities of the military had steadily stripped the LMG of their bases, their armaments, and their logistics drastically reducing their atrocious capability.