Civilian killed in roadside bombing blamed on renegade MILF commander

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—Another civilian was killed while three other persons, including a soldier, were wounded in separate roadside bomb attacks staged by suspected armed followers of Ameril Umra Kato in Maguindanao, the military reported Thursday.

The latest casualty brought to three the number of civilians killed since fighting involving members of the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and government forces broke out in six Maguindanao municipalities this week.

Lt. Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Division, said the latest incident, which occurred between Datu Unsay and Shariff Aguak towns, made the military believe BIFF members were out of their mind.

“The people we are fighting against might not be in their right senses anymore,” he said, adding that the perpetrators were not sparing civilians.

He said a civilian vehicle was tailing a convoy of soldiers on the Maguindanao-General Santos Highway between Datu Unsay and Shariff Aguak when the explosion took place around 6 a.m. Wednesday.

He identified the lone fatality only as Abdullah. Two other civilians were wounded in the attack, he said.

A few hours later, suspected BIFF forces detonated another bomb, this time in Datu Hofer town, as a military convoy was passing by.

Asto said a Cpl. Joseph Primavera was wounded in that blast.

In Datu Saudi town, a sniper’s bullet struck three meters from the municipal hall, where some 1,000 had people sought refuge from the violence.

The incident took place as municipal officials were distributing relief goods to displaced residents on Wednesday, an Inquirer correspondent on the scene said.

Mujiv Hataman, acting governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has appealed that civilians be spared from harm and that they be allowed safe passage to evacuation centers.

Some 1,700 people were reportedly trapped in the towns of Datu Unsay and Datu Saudi.

Hataman also sought clearance from both the military and the BIFF to deliver relief goods to displaced residents.

Asto said a 15-kilometer stretch of the Maguindanao-General Santos City Highway between Datu Saudi to and Ampatuan town remained closed to traffic Thursday as sporadic fighting was continuing in the area.