The armed-wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
on Monday denied the three persons arrested by Maguindanao police on Sunday
night belonged to the MILF's Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
Von Al Haq, MILF vice chair for military affairs and head of
MILF-BIAF, said the three - identified as Omar Sawal, Rashid Ayungan and John
Yunaw - were not in the roster of MILF fighters.
"We have no members of that name, maybe they belonged
to another group," Al Haq told reporters.
Inspector Harris Lino, Shariff Aguak police chief, said that
police were conducting checkpoints along the national highway as part of
security of civilians while the Army and Marines were hunting down BIFF in
nearby municipalities when the three were arrested.
Lino said police seized three hand guns, bandollier of
bullets and three hand grenades from the suspects.
He said the trio were on board a motorbike and flagged down
for inspection by police manning checkpoints in Barangay Poblacion Mother at 10
p.m.
“We are still checking if they belonged to BIFF but, as of
now, they will be charged for carrying unlicensed guns and explosives,” Senior
Supt. Rodelio Jocso, Maguindanao police chief.
Citing intelligence reports, Jocson said the three were
monitored to have plotted to bomb Army deployment by setting off improvised
explosive device in Datu Unsay, Maguindanao.
Police said the trio have other companions also traveling
from the remote villages of Mamasapano to Datu Unsay but backed off when they
noticed policemen conducting checkpoints along the highway.
But relatives of the trio denied they were BIFF members but
they were under 108th MILF base commander leader Wahid Tundok.
Al haw did not buy their claim and insisted they were not
legitimate MILF fighters.
Police in Shariff Aguak and six other towns are on
heightened alert for diversionary attacks by suspected BIFF bandits in the face
of massive Army offensives.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=740544
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