Faharudin Hadji Benito Satar alias Abu Zacharia was chief of Dawlah Islamiyah Another high-ranking member of the group killed in a follow-up pursuit operation MANILA: Philippine security forces announced on Wednesday they had killed the leader of Daesh in Southeast Asia during a raid on his hideout in the country’s south. Faharudin Hadji Benito Satar, also known as Faharudin Pumbaya Pangalian or Abu Zacharia, was the chief of Dawlah Islamiyah, a militant group linked to bombings and other deadly attacks in the southern Philippines, which pledged allegiance to Daesh in 2015. The Western Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which has jurisdiction over the southern Philippines, said he was killed during an operation in Marawi, the capital of Lanao del Sur province, in the early hours of Wednesday. “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,” Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said in a statement, referring to Daesh when naming it as an Islamic State organization. “This is a significant breakthrough in our campaign against the Dawlah Islamiyah. We are certain that the death of Abu Zacharia will be the downfall of the IS-inspired group in our area of operation.” Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Maj. Andrew Linao told reporters that in a follow-up pursuit operation in the same area, security forces also killed another high-ranking member of Abu Zacharia’s group. “This time the target (was) their finance and logistics officer, Daulah Islamiyah sub-leader Joharie Sandap, aka Mursid,” he said. “Recovered from his possession were one M16, one Glock pistol and explosive ordnance.” Also known as the Maute group, Dawlah Islamiyah was one of the organizations that along with another Daesh affiliate, the Abu Sayyaf Group, took control of the city of Marawi in 2017. After five months of fighting and widespread destruction, the Philippine army reclaimed the city, killing the main leadership of both groups. But following the battle, attacks increased in the country, and Daesh became a major cause of concern. In 2018, the US Department of State designated Daesh-Philippines on its list of foreign terrorist organizations amid concerns that the group, which originated in the Middle East, was expanding its operations in Southeast Asia. At the same time, the Philippine military stepped up a crackdown on all Daesh affiliates in the country. In 2019, they killed Owayda Benito Marohombsar, or Abu Dar, in Tuburan near Marawi. Abu Dar headed Dawlah Islamiyah after the killing 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.