2 bandits slain in clash

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Two members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed in an encounter in Mamasapano on Saturday.

The firefight occurred a day after a bandit was killed in a clash in nearby Radjah Buayan town.

Reports said that troopers from the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion pulled over a tricycle with two men on board in Barangay Tuka.

One of the men reportedly opened fire at the troopers, triggering a firefight that resulted in the deaths of the suspects, according to Col. Joel Mamon, acting chief of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade.

Villagers said the suspects belonged to a BIFF group tagged in the murder of more than 20 off-duty soldiers in Maguindanao and North Cotabato since 2016.