AFP halts push but no word yet on safety

DAVAO CITY—It has been six days since the last encounter between government forces and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) rebels broke out in Maguindanao province, and people are asking if it is safe to return to their homes.

Military officials, however, do not know whether to let the more than 123,000 evacuees go home.

DISRUPTED LIVES Evacuees hurdle a difficult life, including hunger, while living in temporary shelters following their displacement due to the all-out military offensive in Maguindanao province. Dennis Jay Santos/ Inquirer Mindanao

Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the decision whether to allow the evacuees to return home would be decided in the Municipal Peace and Order Council (MPOC) meeting in each of the 15 affected towns today.

Military reports said clashes had broken out in the towns of Datu Saudi-Ampatuan, Datu Salibu, Mamasapano, Guindulungan, Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Talayan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang and Datu Piang.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. declared the all-out offensive against the BIFF on Feb. 25, a month after the death of 44 police commandos, 17 rebels and three civilians in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao. He did not say how long the offensive would last.

Earlier, the military said the operation could go on until June, or until the BIFF rebels are flushed out.

Petinglay said actual combat was part of the offensive’s first phase, which is to drive the rebels away. The next move, she said, was the “consolidation phase,” which involved the deployment of more troops in areas formerly held by the rebels.

“Then, MPOC meetings will be held to assess if the evacuees can return to their villages,” she said.

Petinglay said the last part of the all-out offensive was the delivery of development projects to these towns.

“There will be repairs of schools and several agricultural and industrial programs,” she said.

The military could not say where the BIFF rebels went after they were driven out of their lairs.

“There are reports that some have joined the civilians and opted not to fight government forces anymore. There are also reports that they tried to join the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, but the latter did not allow the BIFF to seek [protection] from them,” Petinglay said.

Aside from the BIFF, government forces are pursuing bomb maker Abdul Basit Usman, who escaped from a police operation in Mamasapano in January.

“Although no encounters were recorded since Tuesday, it does not mean that the BIFF rebels are no longer in the area. In fact, Usman is still within the vicinity,” Petinglay said.

With no definite deadline, the offensive entered its 25th day amid speculations that the military was having a hard time going after the BIFF. The military claimed it killed more than 100 rebels, but it presented only five bodies.