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25 May 2009 Scores of casualties were inflicted
on government forces in separate attacks staged by the
freedom fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed
Forces - Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF – MILF)
yesterday in the provinces of Maguindanao and Cotabato.
Reports to Luwaran.Net/Com said MILF guerillas
attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) troops at Barangay Teren-Teren in
Alamada, Cotabato at 12:15pm. Firefight ensued and
lasted around 1:30pm.
While gun battles were blazing up, MILF snipers were
taking sharp shots that reportedly hit four (4) AFP
troops. No casualty was reported on the side of MILF
fighters.
MILF snipers using improvised 50 caliber assault
firearms had been inflicting casualties during MILF
guerilla offensives against AFP troops, paramilitary
forces and armed CVOs in various towns of Cotabato,
particularly in Alamada, Banisilan, Aleosan, and
Midsayap.
Meanwhile, troops of the 54th Infantry Battalion, AFP
were assaulted by MILF guerillas at Datu Gumbay in
Piang, Maguindanao last night around 7:30. Fierce
firefight took place for almost 30 minutes.
MILF commander involved in the firefight said his
troops targeted using high powered firearms and rocket
propelled grenades (RPGs) the artillery assets of the
AFP mounted at the 54th IB Detachment.
“We aimed to hit the 105mm howitzers and their
ammunitions so that we can destroy the firepowers
being used by the AFP in its indiscriminate artillery
attacks against our troops and innocent civilians.”
No report of casualty on both sides as this writing.
This army detachment is less than 100 meters away from
civilian residences and Datu Gumbay Elementary School,
a school-turned-evacuation center since August last
year following AFP operations against the MILF and
civilian communities that displaced more than 600,000
individuals already.
Guerilla counter offensives of the MILF had rendered
big casualties, unrests, sleepless nights, budget
wastes and failure to the already more than
nine-months government military campaign to crush the
MILF military structures.
One objective of the government military rampage since
the start of operations nine months ago was to weaken
the MILF fighters, if not to clear the embattled towns
of MILF fighters, in Maguindanao particularly. But the
MILF fighters had not been forcibly evicted, much
less, contained by the ongoing AFP operations.
EsinIslam.Com
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