The town treasurer of this town, his son and two others were
killed when suspected lawless group set off a roadside improvised bomb in a
Maguindanao highway Tuesday night, the military here said.
Killed on the spot were Carlos Macabangen, municipal treasurer
of Datu Salibo, his son Kenneth “Ken-Ken” Macabangen, Alex Alpas and Bensar
Agapay.
Lt. Colonel Warlito Limet, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
commander, said the victims were on board a Mitsubishi Delica van with license
plate RDX-928 heading toward Datu Salibo town proper when the IED fashioned
from 81 mm mortar and mobile phone as triggering device, went off at 10:30
p.m..
Limet said Macabangen and five other van passengers decided
to return to Datu Saudi Ampatuan because of intense fighting between government
forces and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Barangay Tee and
Barangay Sambolawan, all in Datu Salibo.
“They were heading back to Datu Saudi Ampatuan when the
explosion occurred and hit the passing van,” Limet said, adding two others were
rushed by soldiers to the Cotabato
Regional Medical
Center
The bombing was part of the skirmishes between lawless group
and government forces in Datu Salibo.
“The IED could be meant for military vehicles,” he said.
“Unfortunately, civilians were killed.”
At 4 a.m. Tuesday, about 50 BIFF fighters harassed the Army
detachments in Barangay Tee and Barangay Sambolawan, both in Datu Salibo, which
led to early morning fire fight.
Two MG-520 attack helicopters pounded the BIFF for about an
hour as the fighting intensified, Capt. Joann Petinglay, 6th Infantry Division
spokesperson.
Petinglay said the number of BIFF was rising as there were
reinforcements from nearby towns.
She could not say how many BIFF were killed or injured in
the air strikes and ground attacks.
Petinglay admitted government forces lost a one soldier in
action and six others were injured, including an Army company commander.
On February 5, the BIFF attacked a government dredging
project in Barangay Butalo, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao. Since then, sporadic
skirmishes had been on-going.
“We cannot understand why the BIFF was against a development
project that will protect the people of Datu Salibo, including the BIFF, from
floods when rainy season comes,” Petinglay said.
BIFF spokesperson Abu Misri Mama said five soldiers were
killed Tuesday and three armoured personnel carriers (APCs) were destroyed and
disabled, a claim denied by Petinglay.
“Three APCs were hit but not destroyed, our troops are still
using these military vehicles,” Petinglay said. “We have no casualty on
Tuesday,” she added.
The two-week sporadic skirmishes between government forces
and BIFF have also displaced more than 2,500 families in Datu Salibo’s five
adjoining villages where the fighting was concentrated.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=857797
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