BIFF kills off-duty soldier in Maguindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) is at it again. This time, killing an off-duty soldier in Datu Hofer town in Maguindanao on Sunday.
Capt. Jo-Anne Petinglay, spokesperson of the military’s 6th Infantry Division, identified the victim as Corporal Saturnino Saragena of the Army’s 38th Infantry Battalion.
Saragena went to the market place unarmed and in civilian clothes to buy his group’s dinner when attacked by gunmen armed with 9mm pistols, said Petinglay.
It was the sixth attack on government forces the past month.
With the series of attacks against government forces in Maguindanao, Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th ID chief, directed field commanders to institute preventive measures, like prohibiting soldiers from roaming or travelling alone.
“Walking or travelling by two’s or three’s has been strictly enforced for foot soldiers,” Petinglay said.
Abu Misri Mama, speaking for the BIFF, was quick to admit his group was behind the attack, saying “government forces are our enemies.”
Saragena was declared dead on arrival at the Maguindanao provincial hospital.
Saragena was a cadre-in-charge of a para-military detachment in Datu Hofer, a known stronghold of the BIFF.
A week ago, the BIFF also killed two unarmed soldiers working for the rehabilitation of a school in Datu Unsay, Maguindanao. They were on board a motorbike carrying carpentry tools when ambushed by BIFF.
Before that, suspected BIFF men also killed a member of the Army mechanized battalion out on a trip to the market in Barangay Magaslong, Datu Piang, Maguindanao. His companions were wounded in the mid-afternoon attack.
Two weeks ago, the BIFF was blamed in the ambush of two men, one of whom was a police officer, who were just passing in Datu Salibo town in Maguindanao on board a van.
Also last month, BIFF bandits killed Police Officer 1 Habib Narciso, and wounded another, PO1 Abdullah Hashim, in Datu Saudi municipality. The two were on board together on a motorbike when shot by armed men riding tandem on separate motorbike.
