AFP blames BIFF for Mindanao blasts that wounded 23 people

WOUNDED A member of the Army Special Forces Battalion gets medical treatment at Cotabato Regional and Medical Center following an explosion in Cotabato City on Sunday night. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday blamed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) for the series of explosions that rocked central Mindanao on Sunday night, wounding 23 people, including nine soldiers.

But the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) splinter group denied it had a hand in the explosions, saying it does not attack civilians.

Malacañang condemned the attacks, which occurred on the eve of President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Cotabato City to lead the distribution of land titles to beneficiaries of the government’s agrarian reform program.

“Any attempt to sow fear, hatred and violence is doomed to fail,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said. “We will pursue the perpetrators and will harness all our might to crush all evil forces or enemies of the state, as well as their supporters.”

Panelo gave assurance that authorities were investigating the explosions, and urged the public to “remain vigilant” and report people behaving suspiciously.

Armed force for BARMM

On Monday night, President Duterte said he was willing to allow the newly established Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to have its own armed force to fight terrorists who threatened the region’s development.

“To be honest, when you are already evolved into something regional and you have your own armed forces or police, I will agree to let you bear arms. But you know you have to kill the terrorists,” Mr. Duterte said in a speech during his visit to Cotabato City.

Asked for clarification, Panelo said the BARMM used to have a security force overseen by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and by the Philippine National Police. “That is the old group that they had for security. The President will be using the same security group but [it will] still be under the AFP and the PNP. They had that before,” he said.

In his speech, Duterte urged the BARMM to assert its authority and eliminate terrorists to ensure that it developed into a functional regional autonomous government.

“The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao government should assert its authority,” Duterte said. “And if they don’t like them, kill them, because they are the guys that will create trouble in the future. It’s endless. We will end up like Syria.”

On Sunday night, a hand grenade was thrown into a truck letting off Cotabato City, injuring 16 people, including nine soldiers.

It was quickly followed by an explosion at PC Hill, where a person was wounded, then by a blast at Libungan village in Cotabato province, where five people were injured, and still another explosion at Upi town in Maguindanao province, where a civilian was wounded.

No group has accepted responsibility for the attacks, which happened as the government plans to lift military rule in Mindanao at the end of the year over improving security situation.

But at a press briefing on Monday, Brig. Gen Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson for the military, said an investigation was going on to determine which group was behind the attacks.

Possibly the BIFF

“But offhand, we could see that the possible perpetrators are the BIFF,” he said.

Maj. Arvin Encinas, spokesperson for the military’s Western Mindanao Command told the Inquirer by phone that the explosions were the handiwork of the BIFF.

“The targets were our troops. We could not discount their involvement. They are the only group we are confronting,” Encinas said.

Maj. Homer Estolas, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the perpetrators targeted soldiers and not civilians emerging from the Immaculate Concepcion Church in Cotabato City.

The attackers, who were riding on a motorcycle, fired first on the soldiers disembarking from a truck before lobbing the hand grenade, Estolas said.

“It was clear that the suspects targeted the soldiers first. The civilians were hurt because they were there waiting for their rides home,” he added.

Civilians not targets

But Abu Misri Mama, spokesperson for the BIFF, told the Inquirer in a phone interview that his group does not attack civilians.

“They are blaming us but actually we have no participation in those incidents,” Mama said, adding that only government troops had the capability to sneak explosives into a tightly secured city like Cotabato.

The BIFF split from the 12,000-strong MILF in 2008 over differences in peace talks with the government. The MILF pursued the talks, which ended in a peace agreement and the establishment of the BARMM, which replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Military officials say the BIFF has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadi group in Iraq and Syria.—With reports from Julie M. Aurelio, Jeoffrey Maitem, Froilan Gallardo and AFP