COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Dawlah Islamiya gunman soldiers killed last week in Maguindanao was the perpetrator of the Dec. 31, 2019 bombing of a mall here, the military said Thursday.
Major Gen. Juvymax Uy of the Army's 6th Infantry Division said their intelligence units have confirmed that the slain Kandaw Nasser was one of two men who brought into the Southseas Mall the homemade bombs they set off from a distance using mobile phones.
More than 20 people were injured in the attack.
Nasser, follower of Dawlah Islamiya leader Imam Karialan, was shot dead by soldiers from a detachment in Barangay Limpongo in Datu Hofer, Maguindanao last week.
He and his companions were on motorcycles proceeding to the direction of the roadside detachment but were immediately shot by soldiers who noticed the assault rifles slung on their shoulders.
Three of his companions whom local leaders identified only as, Mantato, Tasil and Madsid, were wounded in the ensuing encounter.
"Our intelligence units found out days after that incident that the terrorist killed in that encounter was the real perpetrator of the bombing of the Southseas Mall on December 31 last year," Uy said.
Uy said they are anticipating possible retaliation by the Dawlah Islamiya for the death of Nasser.
The Dawlah Islamiya, also known as the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, operates in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
It has a reputation for bombing non-military targets and public transportations to retaliate for losses in clashes with pursuing police and military personnel.
"These terrorists are also good at attacking defenseless communities to create the impression that their group is a force to reckon with," Uy said.