MANILA, Philippines — The fighting between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its sub-group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) led by Commander Umbra Kato in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, has began to subside, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Friday.
AFP spokesperson Commodore Jose Miguel Rodriguez said they succeeded in convincing the protagonists to stop the clashes because these were already affecting the peace and security in the area.
Rodriguez added that ground force commander Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo has been ordered to make sure that things do not escalate.
In a separate report, a military source who refused to be identified said 17 fighters from both the MILF and the BIFF had been killed in the clashes that erupted this week. Rodriguez said that they have received a similar report but was still verifying it.
Rodriguez admitted there were still fighting reported in some areas, but that these have been few and far between. “We have impressed upon (them) that this will affect the peace process if they continue to do that,” he added.
He also denied that the recent fighting was triggered by the meeting of President Benigno Aquino III with MILF chairperson Al Hadj Murad Ibrahim in Japan last week.
Rodriguez said the clashes began due to a land dispute in Datu Piang and residents had solicited the help of MILF fighters.
However, a military source who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, quoted a member of the Intelligence Service Unit who posed as a reporter for an international news publication as saying that he had spoken to Kato over the phone and had sensed Kato’s displeasure over the Tokyo meeting between Murad and Aquino.
The source added that Kato wanted secession while Murad is amenable to having the Bangsamoro state as an autonomous substate.