2 soldiers hurt in Maguindanao bomb attack, manhunt on
Capt. John Arvin Encinas, speaking for the 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division, said the soldiers only sustained minor injuries and are out of danger.
“Pursuit operation is going on in two Maguindanao towns,” Encinas said.
He said elements of the 40th Infantry Battalion were conducting road security patrol in the boundary of Shariff Aguak and Shariff Saydona at about 6 a.m. Friday when they saw outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) a few meters away from the troops’ location.
While verifying what the men were doing at the roadside, the soldiers were fired upon by about 15 armed men hiding in the bushes. It triggered a 20-minute clash between 14 soldiers and about 15 armed men.
Encinas declined to reveal the number of BIFF casualties in the skirmishes.
On Thursday morning, Army Sgt. Michael Mabezza, driver of KM450 military truck and member of the 38th Infantry Battalion, was injured when the BIFF set off a roadside bomb in Barangay Labu-Labu, Datu Hofer town in Maguindanao.
Encinas said the BIFF has been on a bombing rampage since last Monday, targeting military convoys and Army detachments in Maguindanao.
He said the Army is responding accordingly, ensuring the safety of civilians and commuters using the Cotabato City-Maguindanao highways.
(PNA) EOF/EDS
