Inquirer files
COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines — Four attacks against Armed Forces of the Philippines units in Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur over the weekend may have been retaliatory actions by Islamic State-inspired militants and other lawless groups following recent government offensives, military and police officials said on Monday.
The latest attacks came days after the implementation of the election gun ban in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which took effect on July 16 ahead of the region’s first parliamentary elections on Sept. 14.
At around 7 p.m. on Sunday, about 15 armed men opened fire on the detachment of the Army’s 12th Mechanized Company, 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion, in Talitay, Maguindanao del Norte.
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