Army seizes market from militants in Mindanao

MANILA: Government forces, backed by armoured vehicles and atack helicopters, drove away about 100 heavily armed members of a Daesh-inspired breakaway Moro rebel group that occupied a town market in Maguindanao province in restive Mindanao, according to a military spokesman.

Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Baldomar of the of Army’s 6th Infantry Division, reported that members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) swooped down on the town of Datu Piglas, Maguindanao, on Friday and occupied the public market.

Baldomar said the BIFF militants took defensive positions in the public market starting at dawn on Saturday and prevented some civilians from leaving and using them as “human shields.”

Baldomar said the military gave town officials time to negotiate with the militants to withdraw from the town to prevent bloodshed while prepared to dislodge them by force. When the deadline came, he said the soldiers, supported by armoured vehicles and atack helicopters, launched an offensive against the BIFF men.

“They went into the market and stole food but got stuck inside when they saw that our forces have taken positions to ensure other buildings could not be threatened,” Baldomar said.

“They have no other objective but to sow terror in Maguindanao because they want to show everyonne that they’re still a force to reckon with.”

Ater an hour-long offensive, the militants withdrew and scampered towards the hills bordering the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, Baldomar said.

He added no casualties were reported from the gunbatle but soldiers recovered four improvised bombs let behind by the rebels.

However, Datu Paglas Vice Mayor Mohammad Paglas gave a different version and told reporters the militants arrived on board five trucks in the town center on Friday to rest and mark the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Paglas said that many of the militants were young, who had relatives in Maguindanao province as he admited: “A big number of the militants arrived and told us that they just wanted to take a rest since it’s Ramadan. We allowed them.”