Sunday, February 21, 2016

North Cotabato police on red alert vs BIFF attacks

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 20): North Cotabato police on red alert vs BIFF attacks
 
Police authorities here and the rest of North Cotabato province are on red alert following the Thursday attack by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) militants at a para-military detachment in Aleosan town.

Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum, provincial police director, has ordered the setting up of additional checkpoints along the North Cotabato highway and doubled police visibility in public places to deter possible terrorist attacks.

Tagum said a close coordination between police and military units in the province has also been set up to monitor BIFF movements in the boundary of North Cotabato and Maguindanao, particularly in the municipalities of Aleosan, Midsayap, Pikit, Mlang, and Kabacan, where the rebels are oftentimes sighted.

“Village officials from these towns are tapped to send on-time reports and information on armed group movements,” he said.

On Thursday, some 50 BIFF rebels attacked the detachment of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit of the Army’s 38th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Pagangan, Aleosan.

A 15-minute firefight ensued until the rebels retreated when military reinforcement arrived to augment the CAFGU members.

Barely an hour before the harassment, an improvised bomb believed to be the handiwork of same rebel group, rocked the national highway near the Aleosan town center though no one was hurt in the incident.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=859078

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