BIFF leader, 5 followers give up to Armed Forces

From the Manila Times (Dec 6, 2021): BIFF leader, 5 followers give up to Armed Forces

A field commander of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)-Karialan faction and five of his followers surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Sultan Kudarat over the weekend.

The six turned themselves in at the headquarters of the 40th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Barangay Tual, President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat province.

According to Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), the surrenderers handed over their firearms, including one 5.56 mm M16A1 rifle, one 5.56 mm Ultimax 100 light machine-gun, one 7.62 mm M14 rifle, two 7.62 mm Barrett rifles, one 40 mm grenade launcher and one heat rocket-propelled grenade.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of Joint Task Force Central, said, "This feat is a result of the joint efforts of our troops, [the] Datu Paglas Municipal Police Station and the local government of Datu Paglas. We hope that [the BIFF field commander's] remaining followers will be enlightened by the surrender of their field commander."

The identities of the BIFF fighters remained undisclosed for their safety.

The six men underwent custodial debriefing at the 40th IB headquarters.

"The influx of surrenders weakened the terror group. Hence, more of its members opt to abandon their armed struggle and return to the [fold] of the law," Rosario Jr. said.

"Our security campaign in Central Mindanao is gaining significant headway with already 237 neutralized BIFF personalities for this year alone," Rosario Jr. added.

"My congratulations to the soldiers of the units under the command and control of the Westmincom for continuously reaping successes. The command will step up its effort toward the end state of defeating all threat groups, especially those that are connected with identified terror groups," the Westmincom chief continued.

Joint Task Force Central had been intensifying its security operations against the BIFF and other terrorist groups in Central Mindanao.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/12/06/news/regions/biff-leader-5-followers-give-up-to-armed-forces/1824867