Soldiers kill three militants on Mindanao

July 31, 2013
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COTABATO, Philippines – Soldiers killed three members of the Muslim guerrilla group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the southern Philippines during a dawn firefight Tuesday (July 30th), AFP reported.

Army spokesman Dickson Hermoso said BIFF rebels fired on a fuel tanker truck and planted two explosive devices on a highway, forcing the military to shut down the road. The unit sent to clear the road became engaged in the firefight. Hermoso called it "a desperate move by the BIFF to gain attention".

BIFF splintered from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the rebel group the government is working with to end a decades-long rebellion on Mindanao.

On Monday, an attack by BIFF personnel on a rural village near the highway killed a farmer and prompted about 100 residents of a nearby town to flee the area, AFP reported.

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