Troops have seized a lair of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters following daylong clashes in southern Philippines, officials said on Sunday.
Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, a spokeswoman for the 6th Infantry Division, said soldiers have taken control of the Kabasalan complex in North Cotabato’s Pikit town, but the military operation was far from over after much of the rebel group escaped to the nearby Maguindanao province.
Petinglay said soldiers from the 7th Infantry Battalion also recovered improvised explosives in Kabasalan complex where clearing operations were going on.
She said troops were hot on the trail of BIFF members in Sultan sa Barongis where gunmen have split into several groups and escaped towards the marshland.
There were no reports of military casualties in the fighting and the spokeswoman said they were waiting reports from ground commanders on the extent of damage the offensive left on the enemies.
“Wala nang encounter na naitala at nakuha na ng troops ng 7th Infantry Battalion ang Kabasalan Complex,” Petinglay told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
She said other military units in Maguindanao have been alerted on the escape of the rebels and that security forces have put up blocking forces around Sultan sa Barongis to prevent the BIFF from further getting away.
“We are still waiting for the report ng 7th Infantry Battalion as to the casualties ng BIFF at sa na-recover na IEDs doon sa Kabasalan (Complex) during the clearing operations yesterday afternoon,” Petinglay said.
The BIFF is a breakaway group of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front which signed a peace deal with Manila last year. The rebel group is fighting for an independent Islamic state.
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