Philippines: Philippine troops kill 16 Muslim militants in clashes
The Philippine military said Wednesday that its troops have killed at least 16 Muslim rebels aligned with the Islamic State group in a series of clashes over the last week that have displaced thousands of villagers in a southern province.
The heaviest fighting began March 17 and lasted four days in Maguindanao province’s Datu Saudi Ampatuan town, regional military spokesman Lt. Col. John Paul Baldomar said. He said troops killed 14 militants, from both the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Dawlah Islamiyah groups, and wounded another 25.
Baldomar said the fighting, which wounded three soldiers, erupted after the militants threatened to attack a village and a security outpost. Troops recovered seven homemade explosives and two firearms from the scene of the fighting.
During the height of the fighting, about 5,700 families had to flee to safety, the military said, noting that the fighting there had subsided.