At least 30 Philippine policemen were killed in a gunbattle with alleged members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the south province of Maguindanao on Sunday.

Philippine policemen [File photo]

Police said the clashes occurred in the early hours of the day in the town of Mamasapano. The unit involved was the Special Action Force of the Philippines National Police.

Restituto Padilla, spokesman of Armed Forces of the Philippines, said Army soldiers were later deployed to retrieve the slain policemen. As of Sunday afternoon, he said the military has retrieved "nine out of the more than 30 something (policemen) killed."

While the military helped in extricating police casualties, the policemen were conducting operations against lawless elements and carrying out a warrant of arrest, Padilla added.

According to the spokesman, the International Monitoring Team ( IMT), the Ad hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) and the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) "are already on the ground to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the violent clash."

The IMT, the AHJAG and the CCCH are all mechanisms established as part of the peace process with the MILF.

The Philippine government and the MILF signed a comprehensive peace agreement in March last year to end the decades-long armed conflict in southern Philippines.

Part of the agreement is to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law, which will be the organic law for the envisioned Bangsamoro government that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by 2016.

A military official who declined to be named said the lawless elements were composed of members of the MILF and the BIFF. He said the military was still checking if the initial information was accurate.

Asked why members of the two groups fought side by side when they are supposed to have differences, the military official said the investigation was still ongoing.

The BIFF is the armed wing of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement which broke away from the MILF in 2010 because of disagreements over the peace talks with the government.

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