 It had clashed on several occasions with Armed Forces of the Philippines troops, the most significant of which began in May 2017 and culminated in the Battle of Marawi.The group, originally known as "Dawlah Islamiya", was founded in 2012 by brothers Abdul Jakul Mauten, Omar Mauten and sister Jorge Salsalani, who were described by a source as "petty criminals" at the time.However, other sources have described the Mauten family as wealthy and politically-connected.