MANILA, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have reportedly stormed a village in the town of Pigcawayan in southern Philippines early Wednesday, local police said.
Inspector Realan Mamon, police chief of the town of Pigcawayan in North Cotabato, said they received reports that an unknown number of armed men attacked the village at around 5:00 a.m. local time.
Mamon said military troops confirmed the presence of the gunmen in the area, adding that civilians were trapped in the area, where government troops engaged the group in a gunfight.
Local police said earlier that the armed men reportedly stormed a school in the town.
Mamon, however, could not say if there were students being held hostage by the alleged BIFF members as classes had yet to start for the day when the gunmen launched the attack.
The town in the province of North Cotabato is located southeast of Marawi, where the government troops and the IS-inspired militants have been locked in fight since May 23.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned of more attacks because of the inroads of Islamic State (IS) into the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
