Pro-Islamic State militants stormed a town and occupied a school in the southern Philippines early on Wednesday, a police officer said, on the same island where fighting between government troops and Islamist militants has entered its fifth week. Encinas, however, said later only 30 militants were involved.
The militants then occupied the school and seized almost 40 civilians, including 12 minors, as human shields.
Rebel spokesman Abu Misry Mamah acknowledged in a radio interview that his group staged the attack, but said they only took hold of some villagers to protect them during the gunbattle.
Police Chief Inspector Realan Mamon tells The Associated Press by telephone that an unspecified number of gunmen belonging to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters raided the village of Malagakit in North Cotabato province at dawn Wednesday and engaged government forces in a firefight.
Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) overran the town of Pigcawayan, taking over the school in the process.
Witnesses about a kilometre from the school said they could hear gunfire, with troops preventing anyone from getting closer.
"It's already resolved", Brigadier General Restituto Padilla told reporters.
However about six hours later Captain Encinas reported the hostage crisis at the school.
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But Mr Padilla made no mention of any incident at the school. Encinas and Padilla said there had also been skirmishes throughout the day outside of Pigkawayan, which is surrounded by marshlands, mountains and farmlands.
Muslim rebels have been fighting for more than four decades for an independent or autonomous region in the south of the mainly Catholic nation, with the conflict claiming more than 120,000 lives.
The fight has been going on in last five weeks.
Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region to deal with the Marawi crisis.
The fighting has left Marawi, the most important Muslim city in the Philippines, largely in ruins.
Mr Garsesa, the town mayor, said local authorities had received text messages over the past several days about an attack somewhere in the area.
Muslim rebels are now engaging troops in a gunfight in the Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato. The attack has sparked fears that the Islamic State group, while losing territory in Syria and Iraq, may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia by supporting local militants with money, training and weapons.
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