MILF condemns Isulan bombing

From the Philippine News Agency (Aug 29): MILF condemns Isulan bombing

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) condemned Tuesday night’s Isulan, Sultan Kudarat bombing that killed two and left 37 other victims wounded, describing it as the handiwork of “spoilers of peace.”

“We condemned it. It is the handiwork of bloody-minded people and it serves no purpose,” Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF negotiator, told reporters here Wednesday. Without divulging any name, Iqbal said the bombing bore the signature style of an Islamic State-inspired group.

“Those who executed the attack were peace spoilers,” he said. Iqbal said they would help government forces in any capacity that they can to provide information about the people behind the attack.

The MILF is working for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law last July 27 to replace the decades-old Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao set-up, after a plebiscite that would be held later this year.

This developed as the military here has initially pointed to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as responsible for the attack.

Capt. Arvin John Encinas, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division spokesman, said the IS-linked BIFF faction of Sulaiman Tudon had repeatedly attempted to send improvised bombs to the neighboring areas of Isulan and Tacurong City the past several months, which have all been thwarted by authorities.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1046351