Hostilities between military, BIFF on the wane

From the Philippine Star (Feb 4): Hostilities between military, BIFF on the wane

Hostilities between the military and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) have waned, but soldiers remained in strategic areas in Datu Piang and Shariff Saidona towns here to prevent bandits from regaining control of the territory that government forces overran last week. Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said tactical operations against the BIFF have ended, but efforts are continuing to prevent the rebels from regrouping.

“All of our security efforts are being closely coordinated with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) through the joint ceasefire committee,” Hermoso said.

Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, chief of Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said military forces have been coordinating closely with the local government units and even the MILF.

“This is a coordinated operation. So the MILF knows, they are included in the operations. Even addressing the evacuees, they are included in the plan,” Guerrero added.

The military official said the operation has been contained in the area of the BIFF but they were also preparing and anticipating possible spillover.

Armed Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said the military is preparing for possible retaliatory attacks by the BIFF.

He said the group could launch such atrocities because they do not observe existing laws.

“They don’t follow any rule. They used children in their group. They don’t respect the rule of law. It (retaliation) could be in any form and that is why we are preparing ourselves for whatever incidents that might happen,” he said yesterday.

Tutaan was referring to the youths who were employed by the BIFF as soldiers. The military said at least three of the 52 rebels slain during recent clashes were child warriors.

When asked whether the BIFF can still mount attacks, Tutaan said: “Their being potent is more on their being sinister. They are treacherous so we are resorting to target hardening.

“If they launch an attack against a community that is not protected, it will cause disorder. That is the reason why we are securing these communities,” he added.

The latest military operations dubbed as “Operation Darkhorse” led to the capture of four BIFF camps and a makeshift explosive factory in Maguindanao.

The weeklong offensive left 52 BIFF members and one soldier dead and 49 rebels and 20 military personnel injured.

Eight civilians were also hurt and more than 35,000 were displaced during the weeklong operations in Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

Operation Darkhorse started last Jan. 27 and was supposed to end after two days. The campaign was extended until last Saturday to allow government forces to seize more BIFF lairs.

While Operation Darkhorse was supposed to be a law enforcement operation, there were no reports of BIFF members captured by pursuing authorities.

BIFF leader Ameril Umbra Kato, who is facing several criminal cases for leading bloody attacks in Mindanao in 2008, remains at large.

Col. Edgar Gonzales, commanding officer of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Brigade based in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, said their intelligence operatives have intensified monitoring of the movement of BIFF bandits who were driven out from their stronghold in Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saidona last Friday.

“We are not taking chances. We will not lower our guard,” Gonzales said.

He said the BIFF is known for its practice of targeting public places and farming villages, both for diversionary attacks and to retaliate for losses incurred in encounters with government forces.

He said their units are now focused on securing relief groups attending to the needs of evacuees.

The provincial government deployed yesterday relief and rehabilitation workers to areas affected by the five-day clashes between Army troopers and BIFF members.

Gonzales and Brig. Gen. Edmund Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, led soldiers in hoisting the Philippine flag at the parade ground of the captured BIFF camp in Barangay Ganta on Saturday.

Guerrero said mopping up operations will continued to flush out the remnants of the BIFF in Central Mindanao and prevent the rebels from derailing the peace process.

“The operation will continue against those who are trying to derail the peace. The operation aimed to maintain peace in the area that is conducive to peace process,” said Guerrero.

Thousands of Moro residents were evacuated to safer areas at the height of the fighting.

Lynette Estandarte, chief provincial budget officer, said the office of Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu delivered yesterday 1,219 food packs to relief sites at the towns of Datu Piang and Salibo.

Estandarte said the food packs consist of rice, canned good, and instant noodles.
“There will be succeeding relief missions to other evacuation sites in the coming days,” she said.

Laisa Alamia, executive secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said members of the inter-agency Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Relief Team (HEART) had also been dispatched to assist the evacuees.

Barangay officials have confirmed that the BIFF had trained child warriors and women on guerrilla warfare and the fabrication of improvised explosives in the camp, which fell after five days of air, artillery and ground assaults.

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad yesterday criticized the BIFF for allegedly using child soldiers and exposing them to violence.

“Mindanao will never be peaceful if children are exposed to violence,” said Jumoad.
He believed that there was no reasonable explanation for teaching minors how to hold a gun and turning them into soldiers.

“It is unbelievable that children are used as soldiers. Our Muslim brothers must stop it,” Jumoad said.

Photographs of children holding rifles were among material recovered by the military when they overran the BIFF camp in Maguindanao.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/02/04/1286387/hostilities-between-military-biff-wane