Dawlah Islamiya Remnant Linked to Drug Trafficking Killed in Police Shootout

COTABATO CITY— The police and military are on alert for possible retaliation by remaining members of the now-defunct Dawlah Islamiya following the death of Abubakar Mursid Salazar, a large-scale dealer of shabu and marijuana, in a brief clash with policemen over the weekend. The slain Dawlah Islamiya member, Abubakar Mursid Salazar, led a group of more than 10 shabu and marijuana traffickers operating in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur and in nearby towns in the province. Residents of Shariff Aguak and relatives of Salazar told reporters on Monday that he and his cohorts shared a portion of their earnings with remaining leaders of the Dawlah Islamiya terror group, which was tagged in deadly bombings of buses and commercial establishments in Central Mindanao between 2015 and 2020 after business owners refused to pay “protection money” on a periodic basis. Capt. Steffie Salanguit, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, and officials of the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office separately told reporters on Monday that plainclothes policemen had planned to entrap Salazar in a supposed shabu transaction in Barangay Labu-Labu in Shariff Aguak. The operation turned when Salazar allegedly opened fire after sensing that the policemen were about to arrest him after he had handed over the illegal merchandise. Barangay officials told reporters that instead of surrendering peacefully, Salazar pulled out a .45 caliber pistol and opened fire, forcing the policemen involved in the entrapment operation to neutralize him. Salanguit said Salazar, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the shootout, was declared dead on arrival by doctors at a hospital in Shariff Aguak, where policemen and civilian emergency responders brought him for treatment. Officials of intelligence units under the Bangsamoro regional police, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division and the 601st Infantry Brigade confirmed to reporters that Salazar was on their list of remaining members of the now-inactive Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters who were engaged in narcotics trafficking. This incident underscores the persistent threat posed by remnants of extremist groups in southern Philippines and their deep entanglement with the narcotics trade as a means of funding their activities. The government's ongoing efforts to dismantle such networks face the challenge of addressing the root causes of radicalization, including poverty and socio-economic grievances in the region.