Military suspects BIFF behind recent bomb blasts in Mindanao
Members of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—The military suspects the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to be the culprit behind the recent bombings in Central Mindanao.
“Although they have denied any links we are trying to ascertain if these denials are true. So far we have not received any categorical information to say otherwise,” Armed Forces spokesperson Colonel Restituto Padilla told reporters on Tuesday.
Padilla said the bombs used could be traced to the BIFF, but the investigation is still ongoing.
“Some of the data coming out are showing signs … there are certain elements within the BIFF using the same kind of techniques,” he said.
Last Sunday, a bomb attack toppled a transmission tower of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in Pikit in North Cotabato.
This caused a blackout in the provinces of North Cotabato and Maguindanao including Cotabato City.
Five days earlier, an improvised explosive device also damaged an NGCP tower in Pagalungan town in Maguindanao.
The BIFF, a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which has sealed a peace deal with the government, has repeatedly denied the links with the explosions.
Asked whether the bombings have something to do with the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Padilla said: “The BIFF actually is against the passing of the BBL. They do not want an end to the peace talks with the Bangsamoro and the MILF. It might be the reason they are sowing trouble in Central Mindanao.”
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