BIFF bombs but failed to destroy Maguindanao bridge

From the Philippine News Agency  (Jul 28): BIFF bombs but failed to destroy Maguindanao bridge

Suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters attempted anew to destroy a vital bridge on Saturday night in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao, the military here said.

The 10-meter bridge in Barangay Magaslong sustained minor cracks but remained intact, according to Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesperson of the 6th Infantry Division.

Hermoso said residents living near the bridge pointed at two BIFF bandit leaders, identified as Abu Sumaya and Montaser, as the ones who planted the improvised device fashioned from two 60 mm mortars which went off at about 9 p.m.

The same group had bombed last month Magaslong bridge which is few hundred meters from the bridge the BIFF tried to destroy Saturday night.

Hermoso said cellphone-detonated IED did not cause major damage to the bridge.

Hermoso added guerillas wanted the disable the bridge to prevent military hardware from going to Datu Piang and Shariff Saydona Mustapha towns that the BIFF had been harassing since last month.

“Once the bridge is disabled, we will have a hard time bringing our agricultural products to other parts of Maguindanao,” Sumail Kasim, a farmer from Datu Piang’s agriculture area.

Hermoso said the Army withheld its offensive against the bandit groups in deference to the observance of fasting month.

“Very unfortunate that the BIFF continues to harass Army detachments which may result to military operations that would disrupt the fasting month,” Hermoso said.

According to James Mlok, chief of the second district engineering office in Maguindanao, the two bridges remained passable to light vehicles, even to military six by six trucks.

Mlok could only appeal to guerillas to spare major bridges as it has nothing to do with their ideological struggle.

“I’m appealing to armed men to refrain from destroying government infrastructures built to make the lives of Moro people convenient,” he said after inspecting the bridge Sunday morning.

“Our brother and sister Muslims who will suffer and become inconvenient if roads and bridges are damaged,” he said.

The bombing of the bridge in Datu Piang was preceded by a mortar shelling by suspected BIFF guerillas on detachments of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Shariff Saydona Mustapha town, also in Maguindanao, which is part of the guerillas’ offensive against government forces aimed at disrupting the Mindanao peace process.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=548831