3 farmers, 2 MILF members killed in central Mindanao gun attacks

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Gunmen killed three farmers in North Cotabato Tuesday after local Islamic State-inspired militants killed two members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Maguindanao.

Ogie Bantas, Esmael Sumunsang and Mutalib Salungon of Barangay Salunayan in Midsayap town in North Cotabato died instantly from multiple gunshot wounds.

They were on their way home together from their adjoining farms when gunmen, armed with M14 assault rifles, blocked their path and opened fire.

Personnel of the Midsayap municipal police are still investigating on the incident.

Two MILF members, Muslimin Daud and Noren Ali, were killed Monday in Shariff Saidona Mustapha town in Maguindanao by gunmen from a rival group using the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as banner.

Lt. Col. Roberto Breboneria, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the suspects arrived at Barangay Bakat in Shariff Saidona Mustapha Monday night and immediately gunned down Daud and Ali inside their houses.

The suspects, wearing black shirts printed with ISIS flags, hurriedly escaped after killing the duo, both under the MILF’s 106th Base Command.

The MILF is helping the 6th ID maintain law and order in areas where there are forces of the outlawed ISIS-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

The BIFF has been trying to sabotage the peace process between the government and the MILF, whose top leader, Hadji Ahod Ebrahim, is now chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.