COTABATO CITY — Soldiers killed the alleged top leader of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya in a brief clash in Barangay Satan, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, on Sunday, December 7, ending the manhunt for a bomb expert tagged in at least 37 high-profile criminal cases across Central Mindanao.
Local officials in Shariff Aguak and members of the town’s multi-sector peace and order council confirmed on Monday, December 8, that the slain suspect was Mohammad Usman Sulaiman, long considered the emir—or top chieftain—of Dawlah Islamiya’s remaining faction in the region.
Brief clash, years-long pursuit
Officials said troops under the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade were sent to Barangay Satan after villagers reported sightings of Sulaiman. As soldiers approached the area, Sulaiman and his companions allegedly opened fire, sparking a short gun battle that resulted in his death.
“Our troops were instructed to arrest him peacefully and turn him over to the police,” said Maj. Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
“But the firefight erupted — initiated by the terrorists themselves — leaving our soldiers no option but to return fire.”
Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, who heads the 601st Brigade, said the operation was coordinated with local officials in Shariff Aguak and nearby towns, based on tips from residents who reported seeing Sulaiman in a remote part of Barangay Meta the day before.
Community leaders later told authorities that Sulaiman’s companions fled after he was hit by soldiers.
Bomb expert trained by Marwan
Moro datus and local government officials in Maguindanao del Sur said Sulaiman was trained in bomb-making by Indonesian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as Marwan, who was killed by police commandos in the controversial 2015 Mamasapano operation.
Intelligence officers from the 6th Infantry Division and the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) identified Sulaiman as the key planner of several major bus bombings in Central Mindanao.
Authorities implicated him as the man behind the bus bombings in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte — April 24, 2022; Tacurong City and Koronadal City — May 26, 2022, Barangay Isabela, Tacurong City — November 6, 2022, and Isulan public terminal, Sultan Kudarat — April 17, 2023.
They said these attacks were part of extortion attempts targeting bus companies in the region.
Linked to killing of Batangas livestock dealers
Sulaiman was also implicated in the abduction and execution-style killing of three hybrid goat dealers from Calatagan, Batangas, in May 2024, according to Catu and PRO-BAR director Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman.
The victims — Jhon Luis Olarte, 23; his cousin Gerry Ortega, 32; and Ronald S. Alumno, 37 — disappeared on May 13 while en route to Cotabato City after arranging to sell hybrid goats to a buyer identified as Khomeini Khomeini Bunsuan Tan.
Police and local officials said Sulaiman’s followers abducted the three men on May 17 near the Nabundas Elementary School in Shariff Saydona Mustapha. The suspects allegedly brought them to an oil palm farm, forced them to kneel with their hands tied, and shot them one by one before burying them in a shallow grave.
Barangay officials and police later recovered the bodies on May 30, after villagers pointed authorities to the site. The remains were flown to Manila aboard an Air Force C-130 and were later turned over to their families in Batangas.
A blow to a weakened network
Security officials said Sulaiman’s death further weakens the remnants of Dawlah Islamiya in Maguindanao del Sur, though they warned that small armed cells remain scattered and capable of sporadic attacks.
Local leaders credited residents’ cooperation for the operation, saying civilians’ increased willingness to report suspicious movements has been crucial in tracking the last remaining members of the extremist network.
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