7 more BIFF terrorists surrender to military

COTABATO CITY — Seven more members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, four of them experts in fabrication of improvised explosive devices, surrendered to the Philippine Army on Monday.

Major Gen. Antonio Nafarrette, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, on Tuesday said that the seven BIFF members yielded to officials of units under the 1st Brigade Combat Team, which covers a number of towns in Central Mindanao and is under the operational control of 6th ID.

Two of the seven BIFF members surrendered to the 6th Mechanized Infantry Battalion while the five others turned themselves in to the 99th Infantry Battalion, according to Brig. Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, commander of the 1st BCT.

Cagara on Monday presented the seven erstwhile BIFF members to Nafarrete to whom they promised to help convince their few remaining former companions to get reintegrated into mainstream society via the 6th ID’s local reconciliation program for violent religious extremists.

The now seemingly moribund BIFF and its ally, the Dawlah Islamiya, are known for fomenting hatred for non-Muslims.

Both terrorist groups have a reputation for bombing commercial establishments and buses to force owners into paying “protection money” and sharing food and other provisions that they need.

Nafarrette said that he is thankful to units of the 1st BCT and local executives in different towns in the Bangsamoro region’s adjoining Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces for cooperating in convincing the seven BIFF members to renounce their membership with the group.

Two agencies of the Bangsamoro government, the social welfare and public order ministries, had provided them with initial cash assistance and relief supplies that they needed in their return to their hometowns.

Nafarrete and Cagara separately told reporters on Tuesday that the group first turned in rifles, IEDs and a 60 millimeter mortar before they pledged allegiance to the government.

More than 400 BIFF and Dawlah Islamiya members have surrendered to units of 6th ID in Central Mindanao since 2021.