COTABATO CITY – One civilian was injured after he was hit with a stray bullet during a firefight Wednesday between army soldiers and rebels in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in the southern Philippines.
The soldiers were patrolling the village of Labu-labu in the town of Shariff Aguak when they encountered a small group of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. The rebels opened fire on the soldiers, but hit a villager, according to Capt. Jo Ann Petinglay, a spokeswoman for the 6th Infantry Division.
She identified the wounded civilian as Joven Opena. Troops from the 45th Infantry Battalion rushed the injured to hospital as other soldiers pursued the rebels.
“The 6th Infantry Division ensures that the safety of the public will be the utmost priority and we gravely condemn this incident in which the BIFF terror actions resulted to the wounding of an innocent civilian,” Petinglay said as she also praised the active support of the villagers who reported the presence of gunmen in the area.
The BIFF, which has pledged allegiance to the Sunni jihadist group ISIS, is fighting for Muslim independence in the South. (Mindanao Examiner – Mark Navales).
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