JUNE 19, 2015 Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters are seen at a check point of Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. PHOTO BY JEOFFREY MAITEM / INQUIRER MINDANAO
COTABATO CITY — The leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) today said MILF forces are helping to pursue the men behind the ambush-slay of the police chief of Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.
“We are ready, in fact we are helping in hunting down the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) men who were tagged, as per our investigation, to be behind the ambush,” Ebrahim said.
The BIFF is a breakaway armed group of the MILF operating in Maguindanao. The group was blamed for the ambush slaying of Lt. Reynaldo Samson, Ampatuan town police chief and his driver, Corporal Salihudin Endab.
“Our information showed that the BIFF who are allies of the wanted person the police was to arrest, were behind the bloody ambush,” Ebrahim said. “We are hunting them,” he added.
The group of Samson was to arrest Kamir Kambal, allegedly a BIFF member, who has warrants of arrest for charges of frustrated murder.
Under the 1997 agreement on the cessation of hostilities between the government and the MILF, the latter was to help government forces arrest wanted persons hiding in its areas or communities.
“We can only help. We cannot arrest these wanted persons in our areas because we have no police power,” Ebrahim explained. “Coordination mechanism is part of the peace process, if there are wanted persons in MILF identified areas, a joint government forces-MILF operation can be done.”
The coordination mechanism, he explained, was meant to prevent misencounter between MILF and government forces.