(MENAFN- QNA) Fresh gun battle between the Philippines Army and rebels left 12 dead, including 10 from Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), while six others were wounded.
The clashes took place in Barangay Palongogue, Midyasap town, North Cotabato Thursday morning, the Philippines News Agency (PNA) said.
Major General Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th Infantry Division commander, said the clash took place between troopers of the 40th Infantry Battalion and 20 armed BIFF members.
In the firefight, which took place 6:40 a.m., 10 BIFF men were killed along with two government troopers. Six soldiers were also wounded in the encounter, Pangilinan said.
The first firefight started around 10 pm Wednesday where BIFF brigands fired on a detachment of the 40th Infantry Battalion, also in Barangay Palongogue, resulting in no casualties to government troopers manning the outpost.
Pangilinan attributed the attacks to the progress in the ongoing peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which was highlighted by the submission on Wednesday of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law to Congress, the PNA report added.
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