Six soldiers and at least one ISIS extremist were killed in the southern Philippines, according to an army spokesperson, as security forces were actively pursuing militants suspected of orchestrating a bombing during a Catholic mass in December.

On Sunday, confrontations occurred in the jungle close to the town of Munai on Mindanao island, said Colonel Louie Dema-ala, the spokesperson for the Philippine army, as quoted by AFP.
 
"This is part of the operation against the Dawlah group. Unfortunately, we sustained casualties," he said. 

Four Filipino soldiers were also injured in the clashes, and the retreating terrorists left behind the body of a deceased comrade, he added.

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The Dawlah group is among several small armed factions that have pledged allegiance to ISIS.

ISIS claimed responsibility for a bombing on December 3, 2023, during a Catholic mass in Marawi, resulting in the death of at least four people and injuring dozens.

The military reported that 10 other Dawlah members were killed last month, including Khadafi Mimbesa, the alleged leader of the bombers.

Militant attacks on buses, Catholic churches, and public markets have been a recurring aspect of the decades-long unrest in the southern region.

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