Members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). INQUIRER MINDANAO FILE PHOTO
COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Government forces and Moro rebels clashed anew in Maguindanao early Monday when armed men attempted but failed to over-run two military installations, the Army here said.
The skirmishes sent civilians fleeing their homes at a time when Muslims are observing fasting month of Ramadan.
Colonel Dickson Hermoso, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, blamed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a group of about 1,000 armed men who broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who have been harassing Army installations in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato provinces the past three years.
Hermoso said the Army, anticipating attacks by BIFF during the fasting month, repulsed attempts to over-run their bases in two Maguindanao towns.
Abu Misry Mama, speaking for the BIFF, admitted his group carried out the attack and said it would continue to mount more attacks unless the military released a father-son duo it captured two weeks ago in Datu Unsay town in Maguindanao.
Hermoso said two groups of BIFF guerrillas separately attacked military detachments in Barangay (village) Dumablas in Datu Piang and Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saydona, two Maguindanao towns known as bailiwicks of the ragtag group.
Citing reports from the field, Hermoso said about 50 heavily armed BIFF fighters at 12:15 a.m. attacked the Army base in Barangay Dumablas, triggering two hours of firefight.
About an hour later, another band of BIFF rebels attacked an Army patrol base in Barangay Ganta, triggering about an hour of skirmishes.
“There were reports of casualties on the rebels side but the information is still sketchy,” Hermoso said, adding that about 30 families had evacuated from Barangay Ganta.
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