MANILA, Philippines — The continuing military operations against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao that started two weeks ago have killed 73 Moro rebels and four soldiers.
Among the 73 fatalities was a foreign-looking terrorist believed to have been coddled by a leader of a breakaway group of the BIFF, the military said.
A report from Agence France Presse, meanwhile, said the corpse’s features bear “similarities” to one of the United States’ “most wanted” Islamic militants.
The law enforcement operations started last February 21 after the attacks of the BIFF in North Cotabato in early February. At least 25,000 have been displaced by the fighting between the BIFF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
On Feb. 25, the military declared an all-out offensive against the BIFF that was also aimed to target Basit Usman, a top terrorist who escaped a police raid in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25.
Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, Armed Forces Public Affairs Office chief, claimed that their figures of the casualties were validated.
The clash also left 33 BIFF rebels wounded.
One of the BIFF fatalities was described as “foreign looking” and was believed to be coddled by Mohammad Ali Tambako, the leader of Justice for Islamic Movement, a breakaway group of the BIFF.
The body of the foreign terrorist was retrieved by the Marine Battalion Landing Team 6 on Sunday. He was about 5’8 tall and had fair skin.
“Basta foreign looking, matangkad, fair-skinned. Hindi itsura ng normal na Pilipino or Asian,” Cabunoc said.
Another slain Moro rebel in Shariff Saydona was a cousin of BIFF founder Ustadz Ameril Umbra Kato.
“Based on the mobile phone he was holding and the messages there, his cousin Kato was giving him instructions. We are still checking his profile and his position in the BIFF,” Cabunoc said.
Four soldiers killed
Four soldiers, including a Scout Ranger officer, were killed in clashes over the weekend in Guindulungan, Maguindanao.
Captain Gromel Auman, executive officer of the Army’s 6th Scout Ranger Company, was killed when he was hit in the neck while leading an assault against the BIFF fighters.
He and his soldiers were supposed to recover three other soldiers from the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion who were killed in an earlier firefight.
The elite Scout Rangers were deployed only last week in Maguindanao to help in the offensive operations there.