BREAKINGand 1 dies as Army-BIFF clash in Pres. Quirino, SK
• 19:57 PM Thu Oct 23, 2014
1,686
By:
Ferdinandh Cabrera
Slain brother of Barangay Katiko village chair after BIFF attacks (Courtesy of Assemblyman Khadaffy Mangudadatu, RLA-ARMM)
COTABATO CITY –
Fighting between government forces and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic
Freedom Fighters is going on in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat Wednesday
morning, the Army said.
Col. Mel Feliciano,
commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, the fire fight was
triggered by an attack by BIFF forces at dawn today on a militia detachment in
Barangay Katiko, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat.
We are still
conducting clearing operations,” Feliciano said, adding that the highway
linking Tacurong City and Tulunan remained passable with government forces
providing road security.
Residents in nearby
Barangay Bagumbayan also started to flee as fire fight was still raging as of
posting.
A brother of a
village chief from Barangay Katiko was still lying at the middle of battle zone
and authorities could hardly pull out his dead body due to intense fire fight.
Feliciano said
elements of the 33rd IB are still pursuing the group of BIFF Commander
Magnum.
The BIFF harassment
in President Quirino was preceded by the murder of two soldiers by suspected
BIFF bandits at the Maguindanao provincial hospital on Wednesday night.