2 soldiers, 3 others slain in ongoing fight

ILIGAN CITY—At least five persons, including two soldiers, were killed when government troops belonging to the Army’s 51st Infantry Battalion clashed with a group of what military officials described as a foreign and local terrorist organization (FLTO) in Butig, Lanao del Sur, on Feb. 20.

As of Monday, the gun battle was still raging, according to Col. Roseller Murillo, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade (IB) based in Marawi City.

Murillo said the hostilities started when the armed men harassed elements of the 51st IB who were manning a patrol base in Barangay Bayabao.

After a lull in the firefight, the battle resumed early dawn on Feb. 21. Government blocking forces also engaged the FLTO, led by the Maute brothers, Murillo said.

He did not say how the military established the Maute brothers’ ties with a foreign terror group.

But he said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had been assisting the military in securing civilians in the area by bringing them to safer ground.

Col. Noli Samarita, Murillo’s deputy, said more armored tanks and troops had been sent to Butig. The military also used two MG 520 attack helicopters to track down the armed men and conduct air strikes against them.

“The MILF continues to assist civilians so they would not be caught in the crossfire,” Samarita said.

Samarita estimated the armed group’s strength at about 300 fighters.

In Maguindanao, the military said the operation against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters was also continuing. With a report from Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao