4 Moro rebels killed, 4 more hurt in Maguindanao clashes with soldiers

From GMA News (Jan 1): 4 Moro rebels killed, 4 more hurt in Maguindanao clashes with soldiers

Four members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters have been killed and four others wounded in clashes with government soldiers that lasted 10 hours in Datu Salibo town, Maguindanao, a military official said Sunday morning.

In an interview on dzBB, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that initial information from the field indicated that four members of the BIFF were killed and four others from the group were hurt in skirmishes that started 7:40 p.m. Friday and ended at past 5 a.m. Saturday.

Padilla also said that while no casualties were reported on the government side, soldiers in Datu Salibo welcomed 2017 at the camps in full-alert mode to thwart more retaliatory attacks by the Moro rebel group.

Moreover, he said that last Friday's attacks on military detachments in Maguindanao were retaliatory, driven by rage over the death of BIFF's leader and the soldiers' success in the anti-drug campaign against the group.

A GMA News report on Saturday quoted Col. Felicisimo Budiongan, commander of the 1st Mechanized Brigade, as saying that government forces were forced to use 105 mm Howitzers Cannon and two MG-520 attack helicopters from Philippine Air Force (PAF) because of the huge number of rebels that staged the attacks.

Meanwhile, hundreds of civilians have fled to Datu Piang and Datu Saudi Ampatuan towns for safety, he said.

Aside from attacking military detachments in Datu Salibo, the rebels also attacked military positions in the towns of Pigcawayan and Midsayap in North Cotabato.

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/594283/news/regions/4-moro-rebels-killed-4-more-hurt-in-maguindanao-clashes-with-soldiers