Over 1,700 Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters are assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines in pursuing the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and other lawless elements in Maguindanao, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said Thursday.
In a statement, the OPAPP said the MILF's military wing, Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), repositioned a total of 1,737 of its members in several barangays as the military continues law enforcement operations against the BIFF.
At present, government security forces are conducting operations in Barangays Gawang and Madia in Datu Saudi Ampatuan town and Barangays Tee and Andavit in Datu Salibo town.
The OPAPP said the ongoing operations of the AFP is near the towns of Salbo, Pagatin, Mamasapano, and Shariff Aguak, or the so-called SPMS Box, where some 6,000 members of the BIAF reside with their families.
Major Carlos Sol Jr., head of the Philippine government's Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities Secretariat, said the repositioning "allow(s) our armed forces the freedom to operate against the BIFF."
He added that it is a way "to avoid misencounters between the government forces and the MILF."
The BIFF is a breakaway group of the MILF, which earlier said it would continue an all-out offensive attack until the end of 2015.
The group is believed to be involved in the Jan. 25, 2015 Mamasapano clash, where 44 PNP-Special Action Force troopers, 17 MILF members, and five civilians were killed.
In July 2015, the joint special investigation team on the clash recommended that two commanders of the BIFF and several other members be charged with murder, as well as theft for refusing to return the gear and guns of the fallen troops.
The OPAPP also said civilians – most of whom are families of the repositioned BIAF combatants – have temporarily moved with relatives in nearby secured barangays.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao's Humanitarian Emergency Action and Response Team is assisting them along with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region XII.
They are provided with provisional food packs every 10 days, which will last "until the situation normalized," it added.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/556709/news/nation/over-1-700-milf-fighters-repositioned-to-help-afp-in-campaign-vs-biff-opapp
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.