He led a battle against the American colonial government in 1903, when his fort at Taraca in Lanao was assaulted and captured by American forces. Two hundred of his men were killed. He surrendered along with six other datus and 22 warriors.
He resumed the war in 1906 by ambushing an American force sent from Camp Keithley destroy him. Later, a bigger battle in Didanganin greatly diminished his forces.
In 1908, he and his men attacked American forces in Dansalan with only 20 rifles.
He later surrendered after the negotiations between Muslim leaders and the American government, marking the end of Muslim resistance to American rule. It was only in 1935 that hostilities between the two resumed.