North Cotabato residents evacuate upon seeing MILF, BIFF fighters ‘massing up’

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Residents in a remote barangay (village) in Pikit, North Cotabato, have evacuated after armed men were seen massing up, a military official said Thursday.

Captain Jo-anne Petinglay, 6th Division spokesperson, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone that residents of Barangay Kabasalan in Pikit town were frightened by the presence of Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Eastern Mindanao Front under Commander Jac Abas.

Petinglay said the rebels have been monitored in the area since Tuesday, prompting civilians to temporary seek refuge in nearby villages.

“As of now, there is no engagement. We have sent troops in Kabasalan,” she said.

A source in Pikit town said a group of armed men under Kagui Karialan of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were also sighted in the same barangay.

There was no immediate statement from the leadership of the MILF about evacuation of civilians.

The situation in Pikit occurred a week after 44 members of elite Philippine National Police Special Action Force were killed during an intense firefight with combined forces of MILF and BIFF in the town of Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The police were on a mission to get Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, also known as Marwan. After killing Marwan and as they were pulling out from the scene, they were attacked by MILF’s 105th Base Command and BIFF rebels.

Aside from the 44 slain SAF men, 18 rebels and five civilians were also killed in the fighting.

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