A SOLDIER died while two others were wounded in a clash with Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Nov. 9, the military reported late Monday. Two BIFF members were also killed and three wounded, according to the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom). The encounter took place in Barangay Tukanalipao while a combined team of military troops and Police Special Action Force were conducting a security operation on Saturday morning. Government forces are still in pursuit of the BIFF group in retreat. “We are saddened by the death of one of our gallant soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the lawless elements from executing their terroristic activity in the area,” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado C. Carreon, commander of the Joint Task Force Central under WestMinCom. The BIFF, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, is a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that signed a peace deal with the government in 2014. The peace agreement is the cornerstone of the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) earlier this year. The new BARMM government is currently in a three-year transition period.

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