MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine soldiers backed by armoured vehicles have retaken a southern town held for 12 hours by pro-Islamic State militants, the army said on Wednesday, with four rebels killed in urban clashes reminiscent of a five-month siege last year.

A soldier from the the Philippines Army's 2nd Mechanized Infantry Division peeks on a scope of rifle during clashes with members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) militants during clashes in Maguindanao, Philippines July 4, 2018. Picture taken July 4, 2018. Sgt Christian Santos/33rd IB/6th IB/Armed Forces of the Philippines/Handout via REUTERS

The clashes followed warnings by President Rodrigo Duterte that remnants of pro-Islamic State militant groups had been recruiting and still planning attacks on several southern cities to set up an independent and separate Islamic state.

Troops pursued militants from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group, who fled to the hills after trying to occupy a marshland town, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Cabunoc, an army battalion commander, said in a statement.

The military will continue to “disrupt the BIFF’s plan to sow terror in communities” in the troubled south, Cabunoc said.

There was no immediate comment from the Islamist militants’ group.

Hundreds of residents have remained in shelter areas and not been allowed to return home after troops retrieved improvised explosive devices and other booby traps in the town of Datu Paglas.

Cabunoc said four Islamist militants were killed and two others were wounded. A soldier and a local militia official were also wounded.

The army said the Datu Paglas attack could be a test case, since the area was near the militants’ marshland base.

Since March, the military has shifted its combat operations from Marawi, a battered lakeside town in Mindanao embroiled in last year’s five-month conflict, to the island’s marshes where other pro-Islamic State militants operate.

More than 40 BIFF militants have been killed in the last four months by troops in air and ground assaults the military described as preemptive moves to thwart militant attacks on cities. [nL3N1RO2ZK] </s> A soldier from the the Philippines Army's 2nd Mechanized Infantry Division fires a rocket launcher towards the positions of members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) militants during clashes in Maguindanao, Philippines July 4, 2018. Source: Reuters

SECURITY Forces in the Philippines on Wednesday said they thwarted an attempt by pro-Islamic State militates to occupy a town in the southern province of Maguindanao.

The 12-hour siege left four rebels dead in urban clashes reminiscent of the five-month confrontation in Marawi last year.

The clashes followed warnings by President Rodrigo Duterte that remnants of pro-Islamic State militant groups had been recruiting and still planning attacks on several southern cities to set up an independent and separate Islamic state.

SEE ALSO: Preventing other ‘Marawis’: Battle for hearts and minds of Philippine Muslims

Troops pursued militants from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group, who fled to the hills after trying to occupy a marshland town Datu Paglas, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Cabunoc, an army battalion commander, said in a statement.

Cabunoc said the military will continue to “disrupt the BIFF’s plan to sow terror in communities” in the troubled south,

“We confronted enemy snipers and improvised bombs as we seized the areas that were previously occupied by the terrorists. We also wanted to contain the fighting outside of the highly populated area some 500 meters away,” he said, as quoted by the Manila Times.

There was no immediate comment from the Islamist militants’ group.

Hundreds of residents have remained in shelter areas and not been allowed to return home after troops retrieved improvised explosive devices and other booby traps in the town of Datu Paglas.

Cabunoc said four Islamist militants were killed and two others were wounded. A soldier and a local militia official were also wounded.

SEE ALSO: Philippines govt under fire for delay in Marawi ground zero rehabilitation

The army said the Datu Paglas attack could be a test case, since the area was near the militants’ marshland base.

Since March, the military has shifted its combat operations from Marawi, a battered lakeside town in Mindanao embroiled in last year’s five-month conflict, to the island’s marshes where other pro-Islamic State militants operate.

More than 40 BIFF militants have been killed in the last four months by troops in air and ground assaults the military described as preemptive moves to thwart militant attacks on cities. </s> - Philippine soldiers backed by armoured vehicles have retaken a southern town held for 12 hours by pro-Islamic State (IS) militants, the army said on July 4.Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Cabunoc, commander of the army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion, said troops pursued militants from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group, who retreated to the hills after trying to occupy the town of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao province.He added that the military will continue to “disrupt the BIFF's plan to sow terror into communities” in the south.The clashes followed warnings by President Rodrigo Duterte that remnants of pro-Islamic State militant groups had been still recruiting and planning attacks on several southern cities to set up an independent and separate Islamic state.Two weeks ago, the Philippine army launched offensives against BIFF in Liguasan Marsh in North Cotabato and Maguindanao on Midanao Island, southern Philippines.BIFF is a splinter group of the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front and has up to 400 members. It is among the several militant groups in Mindanao that pledged allegiance to the self-proclaimed Islamic State a few years ago. They are active in the central Mindanao area, especially in Cotabato city, as well as the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.-VNA </s> The military says it foiled an attempt of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters to occupy the town hall of Datu Paglas town after a 9-hour operation that included air strikes on Tuesday, July 3

MANILA, Philippines – Clashes between government troops and the separatist Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) reached a town center in Maguindanao on Tuesday, July 3, as the military continues aggressive operations to hunt down groups linked with the Islamic State (ISIS).

The military said it foiled an attempt to occupy the town hall of Datu Paglas town after a 9-hour operation on Tuesday, July 3, that deployed air force assets for air strikes.

Three soldiers were “slightly wounded” due to shrapnel and bullet wounds, the military said.

“Combined Army and police forces had blocked the attempt of ISIS-inspired terrorist group in occupying the seat of the municipal government here on Tuesday,” said Lieutenant Colonel Harold M Cabunoc, commanding officer of the 33rd Infantry Battalion that led the operation.

Cabunoc said clashes with the group of BIFF sub-leader Sulaiman Tudon erupted at 5 am on Tuesday.

“The troops attacked the enemy-held cluster of concrete houses in Sitio Mopac of Barangay Poblacion, an area that is about 500 meters from the municipal hall. Supported by armored vehicles and infantry mortars, the house-to-house close quarter battle lasted about 9 hours in an area that is located in the middle of a rice field,” Cabunoc said.

“We confronted enemy snipers and improvised bombs as we seized the areas that are previously occupied by the terrorists. We also wanted to contain the fighting outside of the highly populated area some 500 meters away,” Cabunoc said.

Leaders of the BIFF, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), have pledged allegiance to ISIS, based on their video releases.

The group is one of the threats that the government cited when it asked Congress to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2018. (READ: End martial law? Lorenzana warns vs another Marawi) – Rappler.com </s> MANILA, July 4 (Reuters) - Philippine soldiers backed by armoured vehicles have retaken a southern town held for 12 hours by pro-Islamic State militants, the army said on Wednesday, with four rebels killed in urban clashes reminiscent of a five-month siege last year.

The clashes followed warnings by President Rodrigo Duterte that remnants of pro-Islamic State militant groups had been recruiting and still planning attacks on several southern cities to set up an independent and separate Islamic state.

Troops pursued militants from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) group, who fled to the hills after trying to occupy a marshland town, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Cabunoc, an army battalion commander, said in a statement.

The military will continue to "disrupt the BIFF's plan to sow terror in communities" in the troubled south, Cabunoc said.

There was no immediate comment from the Islamist militants' group.

Hundreds of residents have remained in shelter areas and not been allowed to return home after troops retrieved improvised explosive devices and other booby traps in the town of Datu Paglas.

Cabunoc said four Islamist militants were killed and two others were wounded. A soldier and a local militia official were also wounded.

The army said the Datu Paglas attack could be a test case, since the area was near the militants' marshland base.

Since March, the military has shifted its combat operations from Marawi, a battered lakeside town in Mindanao embroiled in last year's five-month conflict, to the island´s marshes where other pro-Islamic State militants operate.

More than 40 BIFF militants have been killed in the last four months by troops in air and ground assaults the military described as preemptive moves to thwart militant attacks on cities. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) </s> MANILA, June 21 (Reuters) - Pro-Islamic State militants stormed a town and occupied a school in the southern Philippines early on Wednesday, a police officer said, on the same island where fighting between government troops and Islamist militants has entered its fifth week.

Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were engaged in a gun battle with the military, Chief Inspector Realan Mamon, the police chief of Pigcawayan town, said in a radio interview. The town is in North Cotabato province in the centre of Mindanao island.

Pigcawayan is 190 km (120 miles) south of Marawi City, where BIFF militants, along with fighters from other groups allied to the Islamic State group, have been holed up and fighting the Philippines military for more than a month. (Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Paul Tait) </s> Philippine security forces launched fresh assaults against pro-Islamic State militants Tuesday, leaving four enemies dead and two soldiers wounded in heavy clashes on the southern island of Mindanao.

The military offensives took place after militants belonging to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) overran a town hall in Datu Paglas in the southern province of Maguindanao, local military spokesman Capt. Arvin John Encinas told BenarNews. Soldiers repulsed the gunmen, he said.

“We used our air assets since Sunday. Four were killed on the enemy side,” he said.

The gunmen had been massing up in the area since Sunday, Encinas said, adding that the militants began moving to evade pursuing troops.

Thong Paglas, the town’s vice mayor, said that before the clashes, local officials had spoken with Abu Solaiman, leader of a BIFF unit, who rejected their demand to pull out.

“They ignored us, so the military started their assault,” he said, adding that more than 50 families have been forced to abandon their homes.

Local reports said the gunmen also took five civilian hostages and were using them as “human shields.”

The military assault began at the weekend, supposedly targeting BIFF leader Abu Turaipe, whose faction has pledged allegiance to the IS. But he was believed to have escaped the offensive yet again.

“Our soldiers overran Turaipe’s house (but) he managed to escape,” Encinas said. He said two soldiers were wounded in the gun battles.

The BIFF is a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s main separatist group, which signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014.

The BIFF had vowed to push on with the separatist fight, attracting younger, more hardline members of the MILF.

Turaipe’s forces number in the dozens and have been engaged in hit-and-run attacks with the military.

The group had publicly expressed support for last year’s attack by another pro-IS group on the city of Marawi, also in the south, but did not send fighters. At least 1,200 people, mostly militants, were killed in five months of vicious fighting in Marawi.

The Initiatives for International Dialogue, a group advocating peace, called on government troops as well as local government officials on Tuesday to ensure the public’s safety as troops go after the militants.

"We are seriously alarmed and bothered by the possible extent of civilian casualties – most of whom are women and children – if this conflict will continue,” Gus Miclat, the group’s executive director, told BenarNews.

He said the hostilities broke out just as the central government in Manila was hammering out the final details of a proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law that would give minority Muslims expanded autonomy in the south.

Congress had passed the BBL earlier, and President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign it into law when he delivers his annual “state of the nation” address in July.

“We invoke the state’s responsibility to protect and fulfill the rights of internally displaced persons during evacuation until their safe and dignified return to their places of origin,” Miclat said.

He warned that a watered-down BBL could lead to further trouble in the south.

The BBL was envisioned to outline the basic structure of a proposed autonomy in Mindanao. Under the deal, the government had promised to pass the BBL, which would spell out the boundaries of the autonomous government.

Mark Navales in Cotabato City contributed to this report. </s> Nearly 300 pro-Islamic State militants stormed a school in Philippines early on Wednesday and held students hostage, Reuters reported. About 300 armed men, among them members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, stormed a school in Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato province on Mindanao island and held students captive, police said.

Chief Inspector Realan Mamon, the police chief at Pigcawayan, said BIFF members engaged in a gunbattle with the Philippines military. “We can confirm that they occupied a school and there were civilians trapped,” Mamon said. “We are in the process of determining how many were trapped and their identities.”

But Philippines military subsequently said the militants retreated after the gunbattle, and there were no casualties.

BIFF militants, along with fighters from other groups who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State, have been holed up and fighting the Philippines military in Marawi city, just 190 kilometres north of Pigcawayan, since May 23. Philippine aircraft and troops had launched a fresh push against the militants in Marawi City on Tuesday, with an aim to flush them out of the area by Eid on June 26. </s> MANILA: Pro-Islamic State militants stormed a school in the southern Philippines early on Wednesday (Jun 21) and are holding several students hostage, police said, on the same island where fighting between government troops and militants has entered its fifth week.

A police report said about 300 armed men, among them members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), stormed a school in Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato province on Mindanao island and were holding some students captive.

Members of the BIFF were engaged in a gunbattle with the military, Chief Inspector Realan Mamon, the police chief at Pigcawayan, said in a radio interview.

"We can confirm that they occupied a school and there were civilians trapped. We are in the process of determining how many were trapped and their identities," Mamon said.

Pigcawayan is 190km south of Marawi City, where BIFF militants, along with fighters from other groups allied to Islamic State, have been holed up and fighting the Philippines military since May 23.

Eliseo Garcesa, mayor of Pigcawayan town, told Philippine radio he was still seeking information about possible casualties.

Philippine aircraft and troops launched a renewed push against the militants in Marawi City on Tuesday and a military spokesman said the aim was to clear the area by the weekend Eid festival, although there was no deadline.
Philippine soldiers clash with militants from the ISIL-affiliated Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), in the southern province of Maguindanao. The fighting began when BIFF militants attempted to occupy a town center, and lasted for 12 hours until the BIFF militants withdrew to the hills. Four militants were killed, while two militants, a Philippine soldier and a local militiaman were wounded.