An estimated five to six Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
(BIFF) were killed while an undetermined number of others were wounded in
unprovoked attacks on three military installations in Maguindanao on Thursday,
New Year's Eve, Dec. 31.
This was disclosed by 6th Infantry Division public affairs
office chief Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay in a message to the Philippines News Agency
on Friday.
"Members of the armed lawless group who call themselves
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters harassed three military detachments of 6th
ID before the change of the year but were surprised to face the determined
defensive posturing of their targets," she said.
The BIFF first harassed one Philippine Army detachment in
Datu Piang, Maguindanao using an M-203 grenade launcher, with its rounds
landing about 50 meters from the Kaungan Detachment of a Mechanized Infantry
Company on Thursday afternoon.
At 9:30 p.m., an estimated 30 BIFF harassed the Timbangan
Detachment of 34th Infantry Battalion based in Barangay Timbangan, Shariff
Aguak, Maguindanao.
About an hour later, the Linantangan Detachment of the 40th
Infantry Battalion located in Barangay Linantangan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha,
was also attacked.
"The already prepared military forces immediately
engaged the harassing lawless elements for an estimated fifteen-minute
firefight, prompting the BIFF to withdraw and scamper towards different
directions. Members of the communities reported that withdrawing BIFF carried
with them about five to six dead bodies and a massive number of wounded,"
Petinglay added.
“Let the incident be a lesson to the BIFF that there can
only be one superior force and that is the Philippine government Armed
Forces," 6th Infantry Division commander, Major Gen. Edmundo R. Pangilinan
said.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=842701
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