2 soldiers, 9 BIFF men killed in fresh clashes

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — Two soldiers and nine gunmen of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed on Friday in air and ground assaults in two Maguindanao towns.

Army Maj. Arvin John Encinas, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said the fighting erupted on Friday at Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town.

Slain were Pfc. Willy Tingson and Pfc. Dexter Jau Hierro, both of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion.

The soldiers were conducting clearing operations when it encountered the BIFF gunmen. Two soldiers were injured in the gunfight, Encinas said.

While troops were trying to recover the casualties, an improvised bomb exploded, hurting six more soldiers, he added.

—Edwin O. Fernandez and Jeoffrey Maitem