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Taasan, in a radio interview, said that around 4:30 a.m., the tanods in Barangay Dungos saw a number of armed men few kilometers away from their village.
“The villagers were about to harvest their palay and they feared that the armed men might reap the fruits of their labor. That is why they sought help from the Army detachment nearby,” said Taasan.
A small unit of the Army was deployed in Barangay Dungos to secure the area but the armed men believed to be members of the MILF met them along the road. They then exchanged gunfires that lasted for about four hours.
To drive the rebels away, the Army fired mortars, which were also met by mortar fires coming from the MILF, according to Taasan.
A resident in the area identified only as Toto told DXND that the mortar shelling continued until 11 p.m.
“Many had already evacuated for fear that they might get caught in the crossfire,” he said.
Taasan, however, denied reports about the evacuation. He said that the Army, together with the Tulunan police, had already secured the area and that “there is no need to vacate the place.”