MANILA, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least seven suspected terrorists from Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) had been killed in a clash with the Philippine security forces in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said on Thursday.
Major Arvin Encinas, the spokesperson for the military's Western Mindanao Command said a 40-minute fighting between the government forces and some 10 BIFF terrorists broke out around 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday in North Cotabato province.
Among the dead is a certain Mama Macalimbol, allegedly the third most wanted terrorist in the province for his role in roadside bombings and highway robberies, Encinas said.
No soldier or policeman was wounded in the clash, Encinas added.
Encinas said troops also recovered seven firearms and explosives from the encounter site.
The BIFF is an Islamic separatist organization also based in the southern Philippines. It seeks an independent Islamic state for the Filipino Muslim minority in the Mindanao region. They are allegedly behind the series of bombings, robberies and killings in the region.
The BIFF, established in 2010 by former MILF commander Ameril Umbra Kato who died of a heart attack in 2015, is among the armed groups in Mindanao that pledged allegiance to ISIS a few years ago.
