Army troops seized a suspected gun factory but suffered some casualties in a Wednesday (April 12) clash with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao.
Maj. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, commander of Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the clash happened at 7:30 a.m. in Sitio Pinaginuman, Barangay Elian, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
BIFF (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
“Our troops were to help the police in serving warrants of arrest against some individuals when they were fired at by the BIFF,” dela Vega told reporters.
Six soldiers were slightly wounded in an ensuing 15-minute firefight with the BIFF guerillas, who reportedly fled after sensing reinforcement by other Army contingents.
After the clash, dela Vega said, the pursuing troops discovered a shanty, which the BIFF allegedly used in fabricating bombs and firearms.
Recovered from the shanty were metal molding equipment, fabricating materials, bullets, electrical wirings, and other gun making components, he said.
Abu Misri Mama, speaking for the BIFF in an interview by a radio station in Cotabato City, confirmed the Wednesday clash with soldiers, but denied that the shanty was a gun factory.
Capt. Arvin John Encinas, 6th ID spokesperson, said the BIFF group was led by brothers Saga and Monib Indong.
Lt. Col. Warlito Limet, 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion chief, said sporadic fighting continued up to Wednesday night when soldiers encountered another BIFF band led one Ustadz Boy Roman at barangay Elian, also in Ampatuan town.
The Army officials would not say if the BIFF sustained casualties.
In another incident Wednesday night, two men riding on a motorbike lobbed a hand grenade into a detachment of paramilitary troops at Barangay Magaslong in Datu Piang, Maguindanao.
Nobody was hurt in the blast, which the Army and police believed was motivated by personal grudge involving a militiaman and the unidentified perpetrators.
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/14/soldiers-seize-biff-gun-factory-sustain-6-casualties-in-encounter/
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