Operations vs BIFF will go on, Catapang vows

From the Manila Standard Today (Mar 23): Operations vs BIFF will go on, Catapang vows

THE military offensives against the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Jemaah-Islamiyah-linked groups and other terrorist groups will continue until they are arrested or neutralized, an official said Sunday.

Catapang Jr.

“The security forces will continue to conduct military operations against the terrorist BIFF and their cohorts in their communities,” Armed Forces Chief Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said.

He made his statement even as another official said the 120,000 people displaced by the Army’s offensive against the Muslim insurgents would soon be allowed to return home now that the violence had eased.

“We will determine which areas will be safe for the evacuees to go back in the areas already cleared of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters,” regional military spokeswoman Captain Joan Petinglay said.

The military in Maguindanao in February launched an all-out operation against the BIFF, a small insurgent group fighting to set up an Islamic state in the south. It rejects a peace pact signed by the much larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front from which the BIFF split.

The UN refugee agency has warned that more than 120,000 people have fled their homes in the south due to the fighting.

Several non-government organizations have been  calling for a ceasefire between the military and the BIFF and other terrorist groups because of the increasing number of displaced people in Mindanao.

But the military says it might scale down its operation against the Muslim insurgents but will not stop it to avoid giving the insurgents breathing space.

“We have gained the momentum in this fight against lawlessness and we will never abandon our constitutional mandate to protect the people from bandits, criminals and terrorists,” Catapang said.

“As of today, March 21, we have accounted for 139 killed, 53 wounded and 12 arrested BIFF members,” he said.

Earlier, Catapang and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II declared the BIFF a terrorist group for coddling the terrorist Usman and his foreign JI cohorts who were said to have been behind the bombings in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, Catapang said they will facilitate the conduct of joint graduation ceremonies for the schools in the areas that have been affected by the military operations against the BIFF.

“We are considering a proposal to identify a safe area where the joint graduation ceremonies can be conducted,” Catapang said.

“We need to discuss and take collective decisions together with our partners like the LGUs [local government units], the PNP [Philippine National Police] and DEPED [Department of Education].

“We would like to see school children flocking to schools in pursuit of education and better lives. We are delighted to see them finish school and receive their diplomas and recognition.”

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/03/23/operations-vs-biff-will-go-on-catapang-vows/