SHARIFF AGUAK, MAGUINDANAO –– A soldier and three members of Islamic State-inspired gunmen were killed in a clash in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao Monday, the military here said.
Colonel Jose Narciso, 601st Infantry Brigade commander, said soldiers were verifying reports about the presence of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the area when they clashed with the armed men in Barangay Tuayan.
Sergeant Irvin Alberastine of the 57th Infantry Battalion was killed in the clash, while his companion was hurt, but was declared out of danger.
Villagers identified the slain BIFF as Ustadz Kamaruh, a preacher, and his companions known only as Samin and Rida.
Recovered from the slain BIFF members were a home-made caliber 50 barret rifle, an M-14 rifle, an improvised bomb, and bomb-making components.
The remains of Ustadz Kamaruh was taken by his fleeing comrades, while the remains of two others were left behind.
The soldiers turned over the bodies to the local government of Tuayan.
The military said the slain gunmen were followers of the radical preacher Ustadz Karialan, who was linked to the earlier bombings in Region 12.