MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Four suspected members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed while three others were wounded in an encounter in Shariff Saidona Mustapha town in this province on Sunday.
The bandits reportedly opened fire at the soldiers who were responding to reports about the presence of armed men in Barangay Pagatin, the military said.
The suspects were reportedly planning to plant improvised explosive devices along the roads, according to Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
The bandits retreated after sensing the arrival of reinforcement forces.
Local peace and order councils in Shariff Saidona Mustapha and in nearby Datu Piang, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Mamasapano towns said they received reports from residents that the fleeing bandits carried with them their dead and wounded comrades.