Military operations vs BIFF set to resume

From Malaya Business Insight (Jul 19): Military operations vs BIFF set to resume

THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front has given government soldiers the green light to pursue some 80 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, who are seeking refuge in an MILF community in Maguindanao.

The military had been running after the BIFF group since Wednesday last week, but soldiers were forced to halt the operation last Saturday when the group went inside the MILF community at the boundary of Datu Unsay and Shariff Aguak towns, in consideration of the March 2014 peace agreement between the government and the MILF.

“The issues were already resolved. The grey areas were already resolved,” said Col. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Army’s 601st Brigade, who is supervising the operations against BIFF group.

The operation has left 33 BIFF men dead and 10 others hurt. Seven soldiers have also been wounded.

Sobejana said the clearance was given during a meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, the International Monitoring Team, and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group in Cotabato City yesterday morning.

“We can already resume our operational plan… There was already an agreement for them (MILF rebels) to stay put in their community and let us clear (the area of BIFF men)…They provided us safe passage,” said Sobejana.

He said the MILF promised that their fighters will not get in the way of soldiers pursuing the BIFF in their community. Sobejana implied he believes the MILF will comply with the arrangement, citing the peace pact.

“They said that (during the meeting),” said Sobejana when asked if there was a promise from the MILF not to engage the operating troops.

Sobejana said the operations had not resumed as of yesterday afternoon because “we are doing refurbishment.”

It was not the first time the BIFF ran inside an MILF community to delay military operations against them. Under the cease-fire agreement, the military has to coordinate with the MILF before conducting operations in MILF areas.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said BIFF men have put up lairs near MILF communities. He said there are times when an MILF community and a BIFF lair are separated only by rivers.

“That is one of the challenges confronting our soldiers but we have a (peace) mechanism to follow. We have to follow that mechanism so that the conflict will not become bigger, will not escalate,” Padilla said.

“We all know that if we do not follow the agreed mechanism, the problem may become bigger, instead of resolving it,” he added.

Sobejana earlier said some MILF rebels coddle BIFF members because of their blood relation. 

Nevertheless, Sobejana said the act of these few MILF fighters is not sanctioned by MILF leaders who, he said, are in favor of getting rid of the BIFF which is composed of former MILF leaders and members.

Meanwhile, the Office of Civil Defense in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the conflict has already displaced 1,320 families or about 6,600 persons.

Myrna Angot, officer in charge of OCD-ARRM, said the evacuees are from Barangays Meta, Iganagampong, and Malangog, all in Datu Unsay town, and Barangay Bagong in Shariff Aguak town.

Angot said there were 886 families or 4,430 persons displaced in Datu Unsay while there were 434 families or 2,170 persons displaced persons in Shariff Aguak.

She said the evacuees are staying in seven evacuation centers where they are being attended to by local government officials.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/military-operations-vs-biff-set-resume