4 BIFF gunmen killed in Maguindanao clash – military

Security forces thwarted a Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) attempt to enter Maguindanao's Datu Paglas town early Tuesday morning, the Philippine military revealed.

According to 33rd Infantry Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, his unit, the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, and the 4th Special Action Battalion engaged an unspecified number of BIFF gunmen in Sitio Mopac, Barangay Poblacion, at around 5 a.m.

The gunmen took shelter in several houses, but after half a days fighting, they were forced out of the their positions and made to flee the town.

Four BIFF gunmen were killed in fighting, with two others wounded.

Two soldiers and a local militiaman were also injured.

The gunmen had left three explosive devices as booby-traps, but soldiers disarmed these devices and they caused no harm.

Meanwhile, some 500 residents fled from the fighting and took shelter at the Datu Paglas Municipal Gym, where the local government looked to their needs. — DVM, GMA News