MANILA: New fighting between government forces and the Daesh-inspired Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) broke out in the southern Philippines on Wednesday, killing two soldiers and 10 members of the militant group.
Lt. Col. Dingdong Atilano, spokesman for the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division, confirmed that the firefight, which lasted about six hours, broke out around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday. He said that soldiers from the army’s 57th Infantry Battalion were in the village of Penditen to verify reports on the presence of BIFF members in the area. The village is located in the municipality of Datu Salibo, in the province of Maguindanao.
“Our troops were conducting law enforcement operations in the area. The target of their operation were members of the Daulah Islamiyah led by Hassan Indal, and they were actually able to get near the target,” Atilano said.
While the operation was ongoing, he added, a large group of BIFF gunmen of the Karialan faction arrived to reinforce Indal and, owing to the terrain, the army troops were at a disadvantaged position.
The official said that the soldiers were just about 20 meters away from Indal when the fight broke out.
“At the first burst of gunfire, our men managed to kill four from the enemy and six more (later), as the fighting lasted until around 11:30 a.m.,” he said. “Based on the accounts of civilians in the village, they saw at least 10 dead from the enemy.”
Two soldiers were killed, and 13 were wounded during the encounter. The injured are in stable condition, Atilano added, explaining that the troops had to immediately leave the area as more BIFF members were arriving with backup.
On Tuesday, eight BIFF members of the Karialan faction surrendered to the 57th Infantry Battalion. The militants came from Datu Saudi Ampatuan, in Maguindanao, and brought along with them three M16 rifles, one M14 rifle, one carbine, two caliber-30 Garand rifles, two rocket propelled grenade launchers, one caliber 7.62 Mauser rifle, and one M79 grenade launcher.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Pondanera, commanding officer of the 57th Infantry Battalion, said the militants renounced their BIFF membership because they wanted to live peaceful lives with their families. Each of them received cash aid amounting to 200,000 pesos ($4,000) from the local government of Datu Saudi Ampatuan.
BIFF was originally led by Ameril Umbra Kato, who bolted out from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. After Kato’s death in 2015, the BIFF splintered into three factions led by Karialan, Bongos, and Toraife.
