2 Islamists killed in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Two members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) died during a fight with government troops in Maguindanao del Sur’s Datu Ampatuan town in southern Philippines.

Brig. Gen. Jose Vladimir Caraga, commander of 1st Brigade Combat

Team, said the soldiers recovered the bodies of the slain Islamists and their weapons — one M16 automatic rifle and a Barrett sniper rifle, including two improvised explosives — following the weekend clash.

Caraga said no soldiers were killed or wounded in the fight.

The government soldiers, Caraga added, are still conducting operations in pursuit of about 20 armed BIFF members who escaped from the village.

Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, commanded the soldiers in the fight that led to the killing of the two Islamists.

He also urged the gunmen to surrender peacefully.

“Patuloy ang ating panawagan sa mga miyembro ng BIFF na magbalik loob na sa pamahalaan, dahil hindi kami mangingiming pulbusin kayo kung patuloy pa rin kayong lalaban sa ating gobyerno (We call on BIFF members to return to the fold of the law as we will not hesitate to crush all of you if you continue to fight the government),” said Rillera.

“Ang mga narekober nating mga baril at pampasabog ay indikasyon lamang sa mga masasamang balakin nila na nahadlangan ng ating mga kasundaluhan (The guns and explosives we recovered are indications of your evil plans which our soldiers thwarted),” added Rillera.

The BIFF is a breakaway faction of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front headed by Ahod Ebrahim, now the chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which signed a peace deal with the Philippine government in Manila in March 2014.