MILF joins hunt for BIFF men in Ampatuan ambush

MANILA, Philippines — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has joined pursuit operations for those responsible for the ambush in Ampatuan, Maguindanao that killed two police officers. “We are helping in hunting down the BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) men who were tagged, as per our investigation, to be behind the ambush,” Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Ahod Murad Ebrahim said in a radio interview.

The BIFF is a breakaway group of the MILF, which is operating in Maguindanao.

A group of BIFF rebels led by Boy Jacket and Abdulnasser Guianid is believed responsible for the attack on Aug. 30 that left Ampatuan police chief Lt. Reynaldo Samson and Cpl. Salihudin Endab dead. Three other policemen were wounded in the attack.

Samson and his team were supposed to serve an arrest warrant for Kamir Kambal in Barangay Kapinpilan when they were waylaid. Kambal is said to be a BIFF member.

Under the 1997 ceasefire agreement, the MILF should help government forces in arresting fugitives hiding in its areas or communities.

“We can only help, we cannot arrest these wanted persons in our areas because we have no police power,” Ebrahim said.

“Coordination mechanism is part of the peace process. If there are wanted persons in MILF-identified areas, a joint government-MILF operation can be done,” he added.

He said the ceasefire mechanism was meant to prevent misencounters between MILF and government forces.

8 surrender

Meanwhile, eight BIFF members surrendered in Maguindanao on Friday.

Maj. Gen. Roy Galido, 6th Infantry Division commander, said the eight agreed to surrender through the intercession of officials of the 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB) and local leaders in Radjah Buayan town.

Galido refused to identify the surrenderees for their safety.

Col. Benjamin Cadiente Jr., 33rd IB commander, said the eight yielded four Garand rifles, an M203 grenade launcher, an M79 grenade launcher, a Mosin-Nagant rifle, a caliber .45 pistol and ammunition.

Cadiente said the military would process the enrollment of the surrenderees to the integration program of the government.

More than 300 BIFF members have surrendered since 2017. – John Unson