2 MILF men killed in clash with armed group

COTABATO CITY — Two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were killed while four others were wounded in a clash with Islamic State-inspired armed group in Datu Salibo town in Maguindanao province on Sunday, police said.

Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao police chief, said the fighting between members of MILF Task Force Ittihad (Unity) and the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) lasted three hours on Sunday afternoon in the villages of Tee and Andavit.

Police did not identify the slain and wounded MILF rebels, who were said to be followers of MILF commander Ustadz Goma.

The MILF has been hunting down BIFF members, led by Abu Toraife, after the group tried to enter MILF-held areas in Maguindanao.

Under the government and MILF ceasefire agreement, the MILF will help the government rid their communities of terrorists and criminals.

The government and the MILF signed a peace deal in 2014 aimed at ending decades-old Moro rebellion in Mindanao. —Edwin O. Fernandez