MANILA – Government troops killed nine members of a pro-Islamic State group in southern Philippines, the military said on Jan 27, including two suspects in a deadly blast at a Roman Catholic mass in Marawi city in December.

Four soldiers were wounded during counter-terrorism operations on Jan 25 and 26 in Lanao del Sur province, the military said in a statement, but all were in stable condition.

The military said those killed were members of Daulah Islamiyah, a militant group with ties to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria that took control of Marawi in 2017 and held it through five months of ground offensives and air strikes by the military.

Among those killed were the two named suspects in the Dec 3 bombing in a university gymnasium in Marawi that killed at least four people and injured 50 others.

“The precision and unwavering dedication exhibited in this operation… delivered swift and decisive justice for the victims of the despicable attack,” General Romeo Brawner, the military chief, said in a statement.

“This operation sets a clear precedent: The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will not tolerate those who endanger the lives and well-being of our people,” Gen Brawner said. REUTERS