CAMP SIONGCO, MAGUINDANAO—Two soldiers manning a quarantine checkpoint in a remote village of Datu Hoffer town in Maguindanao were killed and another injured when Islamic State-linked gunmen attacked the sentry Sunday night, the Army said.
In a report to Major Gen. Diosdado Carreon, 6th Infantry Division commander, the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion said two of its 10 infantrymen died of multiple gunshot wounds when attacked by members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) at about 9 p.m.
The slain soldiers were deployed in a checkpoint in Barangay Talibadok, an upland village where the BIFF operates.
Carreon said a 45-minute firefight ensued that also left another soldier slightly injured and now recuperating at an Army hospital here.
Carreon, also commander of Joint Task Force Central (JTFC), condemned the incident.
Officials of the 57th IB believed the attackers also suffered fatalities but they were carried by fleeing comrades.
“We are deeply saddened by the report that two of our brave soldiers were killed in action while performing their duties for the good of humanity,” said Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said in a statement.
“We will make sure that these terrorists, who are obviously desperate to strike back during this time when we are all working to defeat the corona virus, will pay for their treacherous acts,” Sobejana added.