Soldier, 3 BIFF men slain in Maguindanao clash

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — An Army soldier and three members of the Dawlah Islamiya, one of them a cleric, were killed in an encounter in Barangay Tuayan, Ampatuan, Maguindanao on Monday.

The gunfight occurred when Sgt. Irvin Alberastine of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion and his companions were attacked on their way to check the reported presence of gunmen in the area, according to the military.

Another soldier was wounded and remains confined in a hospital.

Members of municipal peace and order councils in Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak towns confirmed that preacher Ustadz Kamaruh, aside from a certain Samin and another bandit identified only as Rida,  were killed in the clash.

The bandits were said to be followers of Ustadz Karialan who is wanted for the spate of bomb attacks in Central Mindanao in the past four years.

The Dawlah Islamiya, also known as Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), was  tagged in recent bombings as well as attacks on off-duty soldiers.

On Sunday, Cpl. James Earl Matulac of the 6th Infantry Division was killed in an ambush, also by suspected BIFF men, in Barangay Rebuken in Sultan Kudarat.

Matulac was on a motorcy-cle on his way home in  Pig-cawayan, North Cotabato when he was killed. 

At least 31 off-duty soldiers have been killed in similar attacks in Central Mindanao since 2016.