BIFF fighting spreads; fatalities placed at 40

 

As of yesterday, the fighting has spilled over to the towns of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi Ampatuan towns.It broke out Sunday in Sultan sa Barongis town as government troops launched law enforcement operations, specifically to serve arrest warrants against some BIFF members.

 

 

Also Tuesday, security officials said the fighting has been contained and discounted the possibility that the conflict will spread or escalate. They said they have enough forces to contain the BIFF, which has an estimated strength of 300 members.

 

Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said fighting was continuing yesterday in barangay Ganta in Shariff Saidona Mustapha town and in barangay Damablas in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town.

 

He said members of the BIFF – a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which is negotiating a peace accord with government -- are resisting although “they have splintered into smaller groups.”

 

Hermoso also disclosed that fighting also broke out at a national highway in barangay Kabingi in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town yesterday dawn after the armed group established a roadblock.

 

“Our troops engaged them…We removed the roadblock but it took us awhile because of the improvised bombs laid by the BIFF men along the road,” he said.

 

Hermoso said government troops cleared the highway at around 5 a.m.  

 

 

The military initially reported 17 BIFF men were killed in the fighting while the military had four injured.

 

Yesterday, Hermoso said they have confirmed the death of 37 BIFF members, including “child soldiers.” He said the deaths of the 37 “were confirmed on the ground.” Twelve of the fatalities have been identified, he said.

 

The military is also verifying the deaths of three more BIFF men, he said.

 

The military has one fatality and seven injured. Some of them were wounded when an improvised bomb planted by the BIFF exploded near a mosque in barangay Ganta.

 

Hermoso also said government troops overran a training facility and a bomb-making facility of the BIFF in barangay Ganta last Tuesday. He said troops cleared and subsequently occupied the two facilities.

 

Hermoso said training facility had some barracks and lecture rooms. He said the troops recovered an undetermined number of improvised bombs and paraphernalia at the bomb-making facility.

 

 

President Aquino said the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police are committed to go after BIFF men and other lawless elements like the Abu Sayyaf, who are out to spoil the peace process with the MILF.

 

The government and MILF panels last Saturday signed the Annex on Normalization and Addendum on Bangsamoro Waters.

 

The Annex on Normalization is the last of the four annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed in October 2012. The agreement serves as a roadmap for the creation of a Bangsamoro entity that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.