3 BIFF members killed in clash with Army

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Three members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed while two Army combatants were wounded in a two-hour encounter in Sharif Saidona town Monday morning, the military said.

The wounded soldiers, who both belong to the Army’s 45th infantry Battalion, are now undergoing medication in an undisclosed hospital.

In a statement, the Army’s 601st Brigade, which has jurisdiction over most towns in the second district of Maguindanao, said the hostilities in Barangay Nabundas in west of Sharif Saidona erupted when BIFF bandits attacked soldiers sent to verify the reported presence of armed men in the area, extorting money from peasants.

The soldiers engaged their ambushers in a running firefight, which waned only after the bandits ran out of ammunition, forcing their hasty retreat carrying three dead companions.

Barangay folks have confirmed the BIFF fatalities, initially identified only as Karim, Abdullah and Samsudin, who died from gunshot wounds in different parts of their bodies.

Captain Jay Maniwang, civil-military relations chief of the 601st Brigade, said the bandits were led by Commander Sanad and a certain Bisaya, known henchmen of Imam Ameril Ombra Kato, founder and figurehead of the outlawed BIFF.

Maniwang said the bandits retreated toward a marshy area at the border of Sharif Saidona and Datu Piang town, also in Maguindanao.