The military wing
of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have repositioned more than a
thousand of its fighters in several barangays to avoid a mis-encounter as the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continues its law enforcement operations
against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and other terrorist
groups operating in the province.
Last February 5,
the AFP’s 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade initiated a law enforcement operation
against the BIFF that traversed through barangays Gawang and Madia in the
municipality of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and barangays Tee and Andavit in the
municipality of Datu Salibo. Prior to the operation, the MILF repositioned a
total of 1,737 members of its Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) to
give way to the AFP’s pursuit operations against the BIFF.
“All BIAF forces
in these areas are repositioned to allow our armed forces the freedom to
operate against the BIFF. We want to avoid mis-encounters between the
government forces and the MILF,” said Director Carlos Sol, Jr., Head of the GPH
Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) Secretariat. “We
repositioned the MILF from their communities to three repositioning sites.”
Established in
2003, the CCCH is tasked with monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire
agreement between the government and the MILF. Aside from resolving complaints
over ceasefire violations so that small skirmishes do not intensify, the CCCH
is also instrumental in maintaining peace and order in communities with members
of the MILF.
The sites
mentioned by Dir. Sol include Sitio Udsuran, Brgy. Kitango, Datu Saudi
Ampatuan; Sitio Diate, Brgy. Pamalian and Sitio Balbugan, Brgy. Pagatin,
Shariff of Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao. The more than one thousand BIAF
members are from the MILF’s 105th, 118th, and the Interim and National base
commands.
Meanwhile,
civilians affected by the law enforcement operation composed mostly of families
of the repositioned BIAF combatants are being assisted by the Autonomous Region
in Muslim Mindanao-Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team
(ARMM-HEART), the provincial government of Maguindanao, and the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Majority of the
civilians are temporarily staying with their relatives in barangays Madia,
Dapiawan, Kitango, and other secured areas. The DSWD 12, through the CCCH, have
been providing those affected by the repositioning with provisional food packs
every ten days. The CCCH said that the DSWD 12 will be assisting until the
situation normalized.
Sol explained
that the repositioning was an excellent example of how the coordination between
government and MILF forces was pivotal in the conduct of law enforcement
operations and preventing mis-encounters. The MILF, on the other hand, has
expressed its continued commitment in assisting the Philippine government in
its pursuit of the BIFF.
“The partnership
[between the government and the MILF] is on because the peace agreement and
[the] ceasefire agreement did not collapse,” said one MILF member assigned to
the CCCH.
The ongoing AFP
operation is near the so-called SPMS Box – Salbo, Pagatin, Mamasapano, Shariff
Aguak– where more or less six thousand BIAF members and their families reside.
Sol said the MILF has given assurances that in case the pursuit operation would
spread, the MILF would also be willing and ready to reposition their forces
there. (OPAPP)
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2131456401827/milf-repositions-troops-to-assist-afp-in-biff-pursuit
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