Philippine soldiers have clashed with suspected terrorists in the southern Philippines, leaving four dead and two others wounded, a military spokesman said on Monday.
Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Baldomar said the fighting broke out around 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday between army forces and suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in a remote village in Maguindanao province.
He said the troops swooped to the village after villagers reported the presence of the terrorists in the area.
“(The BIFF members) are planning to conduct roadside bombing and other atrocities to divert the focus of the troops from ongoing (community support) projects,” Baldomar said.
He said the armed men already burned a house when the soldiers arrived in the village. More homes could have been torched if not for the timely arrival of the troops, he added.
Baldomar said the BIFF terrorists withdrew in the middle of the fighting. Troops recovered 10 improvised hand-thrown grenades from the encounter site, he added.
The BIFF, composed of around 200 men, is blamed for bombings and other atrocities in the Central Mindanao region in the southern Philippines. The group comprises former Moro Islamic Liberation Front members who signed a peace pact with the government in 2014.
