Two of those slain were suspected of deadly bombing of Catholic mass on southern islandThe city of Marawi in Lanao del Sur province was the site of a five-month siege by Philippine troops to dislodge Islamist militants in 2017. (Reuters File Photo)MANILA - Government troops killed nine members of a pro-Islamic State group in the southern Philippines, the military said on Saturday, including two suspects in a deadly blast at a Roman Catholic mass last month. Four soldiers were wounded during the counter terrorism operation on Thursday and Friday in Lanao del Sur province, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said in a statement, but all are in stable condition. 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. “This operation sets a clear precedent: the AFP will not tolerate those who endanger the lives and well-being of our people.”
