Military says MILF wants it to crush BIFF, 'spoilers of peace'

From InterAksyon (Jan 30): Military says MILF wants it to crush BIFF, 'spoilers of peace'



The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) wants the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to do nothing less than crush the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), tagged as “spoilers of peace” in Mindanao.

“Hindi tantanan, hindi hintuan (operation) dahil ‘yung mismong MILF din ang nagre-request na tapusin ‘yung BIFF para wala silang problema later on [There will be no let-up in the operations, because it’s the MILF itself that has asked us to crush the BIFF so that they won’t have a problem later],” said Colonel Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

This, as MILF fighters are supporting government forces by denying any retreating BIFF fighter sanctuary in MILF-controlled areas, according to Hermoso.

“We’re employing right now three battalions under the 601st Infantry Brigade, at least more than 1,500 soldiers excluding attached forces such as mechanized units,” he said. “We’ve more than enough troops against this lawless group BIFF,” he added.

The BIFF, with an estimated force of 250 fighters, was a faction of the MILF led by Ameril Umbra Kato whom the MILF Central Committee expelled in 2012 for rejecting the peace talks. Months later, he led attacks on communities, killing innocent civilians in Central Mindanao.

Last Monday (Jan. 27), fierce fighting erupted in some areas in Maguindanao and North Cotabato. So far, 40 BIFF fighters have been killed, including “child soldiers,” and 12 others wounded. On the military side, one soldier was killed and 13 wounded.
The encounters erupted on the heels of the weekend signing of the Annex on Normalization between the peace panels of the government and MILF in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

President Benigno Aquino III, who ordered the military to crush the BIFF, said earlier the government operations will not stop until the BIFF is completely defeated.

The AFP and the MILF’s Adhoc Joint Action Group (AJAG) had agreed on Wednesday to extend for another 72 hours the military offensives being conducted against BIFF forces that have found a sanctuary in the Reina Regenta Mountains at the boundary of Datu Piang and Sharif Saydona Mustapha, both in Maguindanao and Pikit, North Cotabato. Skirmishes are still ongoing in the Reina Regenta Mountain.

The AJAG is still discussing the second extension, according to Hermoso.

Hermoso also appealed to the BIFF to just lay down their arms and surrender peacefully. He said the BIFF has many wounded comrades and “we encourage them to coordinate with local officials and barangay officials, to have their wounded treated, for humanitarian considerations. They are still Filipinos, after all,” he said.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/79778/military-says-milf-wants-it-to-crush-biff-spoilers-of-peace