NO LETUP. Troopers under the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade conduct clearing operations in the mountains of Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak, both in Maguindanao, where the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters attempted to launch offensives against the military. More bombs were found following the air and ground assaults since last week. (Photo courtesy of 6ID)
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — The Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID) has recovered more explosives in areas where the military and the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) clashed the past week, an Army official said Monday.
Maj. Gen. Diosdado Carreon, the 6ID commander, said four improvised explosive devices, bomb-making components, and mobile phones were seized during continuing combat clearing operations on Sunday in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
Soldiers under the 601st Infantry Brigade (601st IBde) also recovered at the clash site war materiel such as fatigue uniforms, empty shells for M16 rifles, face masks, medicine, and mobile phones.
Four soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded in the surgical air and ground assaults in the borders of Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak, both in Maguindanao that started March 1 and is still ongoing although sporadic.
The Army here said 14 BIFF were killed and a dozen other radicals were injured in the intermittent clashes.
“We continue to hunt them, there’s no letup," said Col. Jose Narciso, commander of the 601st IBde.
He said no civilians were affected since the area of conflict was far from communities.
A total of 16 IEDs have been recovered since the operations were conducted in the mountains of Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan and in the marshland near the towns of Mamasapano and Shariff Saydona Mustapha, also in Maguindanao. (PNA)
