Kidapawan City, the capital of Cotabato province, was on red alert against the the threat of an attack by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
Red alert is the highest security alert status for military and the police.
The BIFF last week threatened to attack Kidapawan because of Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza's perceived support for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The governor has said she has nothing to do with the fight between the two groups.
The BIFF had separate encounters with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF in Pikit town in North Cotabato and Pagalungan town in Maguindanao over the weekend, GMA's "24 Oras" reported on Sunday.
[Video report: Opensiba sa BIFF]
The military said that their operations were done separate from, but in coordination with the MILF, the television report added.
The MILF said that they were fighting the BIFF because they condemn the splinter group's terroristic acts.
Members of the MILF, who refused to talk on camera, added that the BIFF members are hard to go after because they are trained to make improvise explosive device, and plant bomb in the area.
The military has been pursuing the BIFF men in North Cotabato since Saturday. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has ordered continued military operations against the rebel group.
On Jan. 25, a police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao against two terrorists — Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan and Abu Sayyaf member and Filipino bomb maker Basit Usman — claimed the lives of 44 Special Action Force commandos, 18 MILF members, and four civilians.
Marwan, who has a $5 Million bounty on his head, reportedly died during the clash, while Usman managed to escape.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.