Army blames BIFF for blasts that killed Maguindanao woman

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 17, 2020): Army blames BIFF for blasts that killed Maguindanao woman (By Edwin Fernandez)

Lt. Col. Anhouvic Atilano, Army’s 6th Infantry Division spokesperson. (File photo courtesy of 6ID)

The military has pointed to the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in rifle grenades and mortar attacks in civilians communities in Maguindanao that recently left a pregnant woman dead and six others injured.

Lt. Colonel Anhouvic Atilano, speaking for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the shelling in two communities in Maguindanao towns of Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha was the handiwork of the BIFF, a local terror group operating in the marshy areas of the province.

"It was a diversionary tactic; they did it to force the Army to cease artillery attacks against them in the marshland of Maguindanao,” Atilano said in an interview with reporters here Thursday.

Since last week, Atilano said the Army has been pounding BIFF positions in the adjoining towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Saudi Ampatuan (formerly Pagatin), Mamasapano, and Datu Salibo termed by the Army as “SPMS Box” with artillery fire.

The “SPMS Box,” situated in Maguindanao’s second district, is where the BIFF mostly operates.

Six civilians were wounded Monday evening when a rifle grenade fired from afar landed in one of the houses in Barangay Sambolawan, Datu Salibo, Maguindanao.

Among those injured in the incident were three children aged 5, 8, and 15.

The evening, another rifle grenade landed in a house in Barangay Pusao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, that killed Rahima Damada, 35, a 7-month-old pregnant woman about to leave her home as fighting between government forces and BIFF come closer to the village.

“We have precise targets, the military knows where to let the explosives land, definitely not in civilian areas,” Atilano said, adding that the Army does not use rifle grenade, which is commonly used by BIFF combatants.

Since the BIFF attacked Datu Piang town on Dec. 3, the Army has been pounding rebels’ position with artillery fire to prevent them from launching similar attacks in the future.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1125012