BIFF launches simultaneous attacks on New Year’s Eve in Maguindanao

The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) launched simultaneous attacks on military detachments in Maguindanao on New Year’s Eve, Thursday.

This happened a few days after they carried out attacks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

Army’s 6th Infantry Division spokesperson Captain Joan Petinglay, told INQUIRER.net on Friday that no one from the government side was hurt and the rebels were not able to get closer to the detachments because of their proactive measures.

The BIFF fired an M203 grenade launcher at a mechanized company of the Army in Datu Piang around 6 p.m. The grenade landed 50 meters away from the detachment.

At 9:10 p.m., around 20 to 30 BIFF members attacked the detachment of the Army’s 34th Infantry Battalion in Brgy. (village) Timbangan in Shariff Aguak.

A 15-minute firefight ensued. However, the rebels were not able to get closer, Petinglay said.

“The rebels incurred casualties but these are only based from community reports,” she said.

Later at 10:30 p.m., around 40 members attacked the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion in Shariff Saydona Mustapha.

“They were also not able to get close because we have monitored their movements. In about less than 15 minutes they already fled,” she said.

Attacks by the BIFF on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato killed 13. The incident displaced more than a thousand families.

Security forces were on alert before Christmas due to the planned attacks of the BIFF, a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that is also claiming allegiance with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

However, Petinglay encouraged the displaced families to return to their homes.

“There are enough forces deployed to secure the highway and community where there are reported threats,” she said.

Some families have returned to their homes, she added, but said it is up to the local officials to release clearance on whether the families could go back she said.

Early last year, the military claims that it killed over a hundred of these rebels in a month-long all-out offensive after the Mamasapano incident which killed 44 police commandos. Around a hundred more armed fighters are in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato. RAM