Moro rebels attack military detachment in Maguindanao

Members of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—A military detachment was attacked by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao on Sunday night, causing some residents in the area to flee, the military said.

The BIFF stormed a detachment of the Army’s 45th Infantry Battalion in Magaslong village in Maguindanao town at about 9:35 p.m., Colonel Dickson Hermoso of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said.

No casualties were recorded on the military side, while casualties on the BIFF side were not determined, Hermoso said.

An undetermined number of civilians from the villages of Madtalbayog, Glaci, Magaslong and Gumbay sought shelter in the church and mosque of Poblacion Datu Piang because of the incident.

As of 5 a.m. Monday, the civilians were reported to have gone back to their homes.

Pursuit operations are ongoing, Hermoso said.