2 rebels killed in clash in Cotabato

COTABATO, Philippines (Xinhua) - At least two members of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) were killed and two government soldiers wounded as the military launched today an offensive against the rebel group in Cotabato.

According to Colonel Dickson Hermoso, spokesman for the Philippine Army's 6th Division, the firefight erupted at about 9:30 a.m. when a group of soldiers deployed to Tubak village, Aleosan town caught up with the BIFM men there. The local residents reported the presence of the armed men in the area, he added.

The fighting continued sporadically this afternoon, said Hermoso.

Cotabato Governor Emmelou Mendoza earlier said that around 2,000 people who fled their homes because of the fighting have been staying in the evacuation centre in Aleosan's Pagangan village.

BIFM, which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in 2010, was believed to be responsible for the recent bomb attacks in the region, including the blast on August 5 that left eight people dead and dozens wounded.