Google map of Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.
COTABATO CITY – Two soldiers under the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion were killed while 13 others were wounded during a firefight with the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao on Wednesday, the Army here said.
Seven BIFF combatants were also injured, said Lt. Colonel Anhouvic Atilano, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division spokesperson.
In a radio interview, Atilano said the skirmishes erupted past 6 a.m. in Barangay Penditen, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao when the BIFF attacked elements of the 57IB.
He declined to identify the slain infantrymen until their immediate families are officially informed.
“The soldiers were patrolling the village when about 20 gunmen set off a roadside bomb and fired at the soldiers,” Atilano said.
Local officials said the wounded BIFF fighters were carried away by their comrades while retreating.
The wounded soldiers are now getting medical attention at the Camp Siongco Station Hospital inside the 6th ID headquarters in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Clearing operations are still ongoing as of posting, Atilano said. (PNA)
