Twenty more members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), including three relatives of Filipino bomb expert Abdul Basit Usman, were reportedly killed in series of clashes in Maguindanao Wednesday as the government continues its offensive.
The ongoing
offensive prompted the military to close in on Usman, Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala said, who revealed
that Usman is still believed to moving around the SPMS (Shariff Aguak, Pagatin
(Datu Saudi), Mamasapano and Salibo (Shariff Aguak) in Maguindanao.
In a press
briefing at Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Kakilala identified two of the slain
BIFF men in Wednesday’s encounters as Rene Masabpi and Kumidi Simeon, Usman’s
nephews.
Another
unidentified relative of Usman was also killed in fierce clashes with Marine
troops in the swampland of Barangay Pamalian, also in Shariff Saydona Mustapha
town, Maguindanao.
The bodies of the
slain BIFF men were allegedly buried by their retreating comrades in shallow
graves in Sitio Ilang, Barangay Tina, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.
Civilian
informants pinpointed their burial sites to government troops.
“This brought to
116 the total BIFF rebels killed since we launched an all-out offensive, or a
third of their estimated strength of 300,” said Kakilala.
He added,
however, that members of private armed groups (PAG) have joined the BIFF.
Asked about the
whereabouts of Usman, Kakilala denied reports that the wanted terrorist was
able to slip out of Maguindanao amid the continuing military offensive.
“The operating
troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 8 led by Lt. Col. Willy Manalang
are closing in on the group of Usman and five foreign terrorists who are being
coddled by BIFF leader Mohammad Ali Tambako,” said Kakilala.
“Accordingly,
nasa area pa si Usman, sa SPMS box and its periphery… malabo
He went on to say
that troops are following blood traces left behind by the bandits.
COST OF WAR
Meanwhile, the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will be spending at least P12
million a week for food packs to support families displaced in the ongoing
military offensive in Maguindanao.
ARMM said each
food pack, which contains rations of rice, sardines, and noodles, costs P450
and sustains a family for three days.
A family of
evacuees needs at least two food packs a week to meet their food requirement
for the week. This means that the ARMM government would need to spend at least
P12 million on food assistance alone to support 14,517 displaced families.
http://www.mb.com.ph/military-closes-in-on-usman-20-more-biff-fighters-slain/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.