MANILA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Four soldiers were killed on Sunday in an ambush in Maguindanao del Sur province in the southern Philippines, the military said.

Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Almorato, spokesperson for the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division in the area, said at least 10 militants, using M16 and M14 rifles, peppered a civilian vehicle used by the troops to buy food and other supplies around 10 a.m. local time on Sunday in Datu Hoffer Ampatuan town.

The soldiers were heading back to their patrol base after buying supplies when the ambush occurred near a residential area, he added.

Almorato said the victims, clad in civilian clothes and using a civilian car, succumbed to their wounds and died at a local hospital.

Almorato blamed the Dawlah Islamiya (DI) armed group for the attack, which broke out during the fasting month of Ramadan.

The DI is behind several atrocities in Mindanao, including the bombing at Mindanao State University in Marawi city in Lanao del Sur province in December last year, which left four people dead and 50 others injured. Enditem

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