Two civilians and three soldiers, including an Army captain, were injured in an on-going fire fight between Army and outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao Saturday.
Lt. Colonel Warlito Limet, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
commander, said the Army captain he refused to name was leading a team of
soldiers responding to burning of construction equipment in Datu Salibo town in
Maguindanao on Friday. The team leader and two of his men sustained minor head
and body injuries, he said.
Limet said the BIFF torched a back hoe working on dredging
operations in Barangay Butilen, Datu Salibo at 4 p.m. Friday. As the soldiers
were heading toward the river side, they discovered improvised bombs and land
mines along the route, forcing them to stop.
While Army bomb experts were working on the IEDs, they were
fired by BIFF snipers using Barret cal. 50. This forced the Army to fired
howitzers and mortars with the BIFF, under Commander Bungos, firing rifle
grenades.
Sporadic fire fight ensued overnight until dawn Saturday
that left two civilians wounded, identified by local leaders as Mammex Indiong,
30 and Tammy Musarup, 19, hit by stray bullets in their feet.
Citing intelligence information, Limet said a son of a BIFF
leader was died in the overnight fire fight. He said it is still being verified.
Colonel Felicisimo Budiongan, 2nd Mechanized Infantry
Brigade commander, said the number of BIFF was rising until Saturday dawn.
He told reporters Army forward observers, using night vision
goggles, noticed BIFF forces coming in trickles to Barangay Butilen from the
towns of Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Piang and Shariff Aguak, all in
Maguindanao.
“We expect a bigger fire fight here as they have
reinforcements,” Budiongan said.
Artillery fire from 2nd Mechanized Battalion headquarters
continued Saturday morning although sporadic, he added.
Mayor Norodin Salazar of Datu Salibo also told reporters
about 1,500 families have evacuated from four adjoining villages of Butilen,
Sambolawan, Tee and Andabit, all in Datu Salibo.
Budiongan said the BIFF was opposed to the dredging of
Butilen river and the bridge construction because the fear easy access for
military hard wares to their hideouts. Silts from dredging are used in farm to
market roads.
But Misri Mama, BIFF spokesperson, denied his group opposed
the project. He said the BIFF is protecting its members whose lands were used
by the road construction firm without proper compensation.
He vowed his group will continue fighting the Army in Datu
Salibo, Maguindanao.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=854592
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