A soldier was killed Tuesday in a fresh firefight between
the Philippine Army and members of a radical jihadists movement in Butig, Lanao
del Sur.
The fatality was identified as Private First Class Emmanuel
Buhilag, a member of the 51st Infantry Battalion, who was with the convoy of
two military trucks traversing a highway in Bubong Cadapaan village in
Wato-Balindong town when ambushed by gunmen around 11 a.m.
Col. Roseller Murillo, commander of Marawi City-based 103rd
Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, said the military convoy was en route
to Madalum town, to reinforce soldiers in Butig town, where pursuit operation
against the rebel group was ongoing, when attacked.
He added
that the troops were able to
return fire and drove away an undetermined number of attackers that took an
hour-long firefight with mortar shelling from the government forces.
Authorities said the attack was part of the “diversion
tactics” by the jihadists group Khilafah Islamiyah Movement (KIM), which 300 of
its members were being cornered by soldiers at the village of Poktan
They added that the recent clash created fear among
residents and commuters passing through the highway going in and out of the
cities of Marawi and Cotabato even though the road was passable.
The four-day hostilities erupted when KIM, which had pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), ambushed an army
detachment of 51st Infantry Battalion that triggered a massive pursuit
operation with bombardment attacks from the military.
7,800 civilians displaced
The sporadic firefight that started from Saturday evening
had displaced 7,800 civilians from Butig, from where 335 families fled to Marawi City
It said the repacking of goods was under way on Wednesday
for the 657 evacuees who sought refuge in Masiu, Lanao del Sur.
It added that it has been doing a validating process for the
thousands of families who reportedly run for their safety in the towns of Lumbatan, Lumbayanague and
Poona-Bayabao.
Crisis Management Committee created
Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Adiong, Jr. said the provincial
government has created the Crisis Management Committee (CMC) “to ensure that no
civilians get hurt and that evacuees are properly taken care of.”
The committee, which Adiong heads, was created during the
Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting here on Tuesday where the military
and the police described the armed groups as “criminals and have committed
criminal acts.”
Authorities also denied reports that the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), particularly the forces of Commander Abdullah
Macapaar, alias Bravo, were involved in the clashes.
Colonel Manolo Samarita, deputy commander to Murillo, said
the current operation against the armed group was properly coordinated with the
largest Muslim rebels in Mindanao that signed a peace deal with the government
through the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH)
and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).
http://www.manilatimes.net/breaking_news/lanao-skirmishes-continue-displace-thousands/
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