From the Manila Standard Today (Jul 10): 200 fighters of BIFF join Iraqi rebels
The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters has reportedly sent a company of warriors in war-torn Iraq to fight alongside Muslim militants against the Iraqi government.
BIFF leader Samer Samsudin said on Wednesday that around 200 Muslim militants from their ranks left the country last week in a “do or die” mission to fight alongside the rebels from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant known as ISIS which had been waging a major offensive against the Iraqi government.
“We have sent 200 of our warriors to Iraq to help our fellow Muslims,” Samsudin said.
He identified the leader of the BIFF delegation as Abu Muhsen Abubakar.
According to Samsudin, the BIFF members who went to Iraq were able to slip out of the country from their hideout in Maguindanao by using the country’s backdoor to Malaysia, where they boarded a plane bound to the Middle East.
“The BIFF warriors are now on their sixth day in Iraq. The group reports directly to rebel leader Mohamad Husin Aljabouree,” he added.
The fighting in Iraq has escalated in the past few days after militants from the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group took control of large swaths of the country. The clashes between the rebels and the Iraqi government troops already killed 2,461 people since June.
The decision to send BIFF warriors to Iraq was reportedly approved by the group’s leaders, led by Umbra Kato during a consensus meeting, Samsudin said.
He added that the weapons being used by the BIFF in Iraq are being supplied by Iraqi rebels.
But military sources said they have not monitored information of the BIFF sending members to Iraq.
“That’s not accurate, we don’t have any information on that,” the source said.
A separate source, however, said that 200 Australian Muslims were currently fighting Iraqi government forces alongside the ISIS.
The source added that no Filipinos were involved in the fighting, but there are overseas Filipino workers working in Iraqi government facilities.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/07/10/200-fighters-of-biff-join-iraqi-rebels/
Seems unlikely that BIFF sent fighters to Iraq. They don't have that many fighters to spare for military operations in Iraq. Also, the Malaysians have been on alert for terrorists traveling to the Middle East. Thus it would seem that large numbers of BIFF going to Iraq under the noses of the Malaysians might be difficult to accomplish.
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