2 BIFF gunmen slain in encounter

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Two suspected members of the Islamic Statelinked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were slain in a clash with government forces in Maguindanao on Saturday.

Troopers under the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion (33IB) were manning a quarantine checkpoint when they noticed three men acting suspiciously while onboard a motorbike in Barangay Tuka, Mamasapano, Maguindanao, according to 33IB commander, Lt. Col. Elmer Boongaling.

“The gunmen, when accosted, opened fire on the soldiers, triggering a brief firefight that ended in an open cornfield,” Boongaling said.

He said the suspects fled on foot, leaving behind their motorbike.

When smoke cleared, two men were found separately lying dead with two M16 rifles beside them. The third suspect managed to escape.

Maj. Gen. Diosdado Carreon, Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander and chief of the Joint Task Force Central, has alerted all ground troops to take preventive measures to thwart possible BIFF retaliations amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.