MANILA, Jun 20 (NNN-PNA) – Three suspected armed extremists were killed, in a clash with Philippine soldiers, in the southern Philippines before dawn today, an army general said.
Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, the commanding general of the Western Mindanao Command, based in Zamboanga City, said, fighting broke out at around 6:00 a.m. local time, between the armed forces and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) gunmen, in Maguindanao province.
In a statement, he said, the troops were conducting military operations when they encountered 10 BIFF members.
Vinluan said, seven among them fled, leaving behind three pistols, two hand grenades and illegal drugs.
The BIFF, composed of around 200 men, is blamed for bombings and other atrocities in the Central Mindanao region.– NNN-PNA
