7 BIFF fighters slain as clashes erupt anew in Maguindanao

CAMP SIONGCO, MAGUINDANAO—At least seven members of an Islamic State (IS)-linked armed group were killed during a military offensive in Maguindanao province on Monday and Tuesday, an Army officer said.

Capt. Arvin John Encinas, speaking for the 6th Infantry Division, said the fatalities were recovered by village officials and residents at Barangay Darampua in Sultan sa Barongis town.

Military intel

The operation, led by troops from the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, was launched on Monday night after military intelligence confirmed the presence of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) led by Ismael Abubakar, also known as Commander Bungos, in the area.

Abubakar, an imam (Islamic preacher), was seen with about 50 armed followers in the subvillage of Kabasalan, a community in the middle of the Liguasan marsh.

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Abu Misry Mama, speaking for BIFF, said some of his colleagues were in Darampua village during the initial mortar shelling.

“We left the area immediately because of the airstrikes,” he said.

Mama, however, denied his group lost seven men.

“Only one was injured,” he said.

Datu Hoffer bombing

On Wednesday morning, a militiaman was wounded when an improvised bomb exploded while government troops were on patrol in Datu Hoffer town.

Military officials believed the bombing was carried out by BIFF to divert the attention of soldiers following the successful military offensive in Sultan sa Barongis.

After the blast at 6:30 a.m., soldiers shut down for an hour portions of the Isulan (Sultan Kudarat province) to Cotabato City highway to investigate.

Members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit and soldiers patrol the highways of Maguindanao, especially those linking the towns of Ampatuan, Shariff Aguak, Datu Hoffer and Datu Unsay, due to frequent roadside bombing attempts by BIFF.

Abubakar, according to military reports, heads one of three BIFF factions loyal to IS.

The group has been moving around the marshland using boats.

The military said the group was collecting money from farmers and fishermen in the guise of “zakat,” an annual obligatory contribution of Muslims that would be used for charitable and religious purposes.—EDWIN O. FERNANDEZ AND JEOFFREY MAITEM