300 civilians flee homes as troops foil MILF attack in Lanao del Sur

MANILA, Philippines - At least 300 civilians fled their homes in Lanao del Sur Monday due to the latest fighting between government troops and Moro rebels, according to a military spokesman. Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, said the affected residents are now housed in evacuation centers. The firefight started when troops preempted an attack by rogue Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels. Colonel Nicanor Dolojan, commander of the Army’s 403rd Brigade, said the fighting broke out when troops from the 29th Infantry Battalion were deployed to check information that rebels were consolidating at the boundary of Wao and Bumbaran towns. “(They) are threatening to attack military installations and municipalities of Wao and Bumbaran,” said Dolojan of the rebels, which he said numbered at about 200. Cabangbang said the fighting was so fierce that the military had to fire artillery rounds toward the rebel positions and dispatched air assets to support the engaged troops. No casualties were reported yet on both sides. In Quezon City, Armed Forces public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said the encountered rebels could be under Abdulrahman Macapaar alias Kumander Bravo and Aleem Pangalian, leaders of the 102nd and 103rd base commands, respectively. The two led the attack on civilian communities in Central Mindanao last August, prompting the military to launch an all-out offensive against them. - GMANews.TV