Military arrest 5 BIFF members in Maguindanao

PRESIDENT
QUIRINO, Sultan Kudarat – Government forces raided a marshland
village in Maguindano on Friday dawn, arrested five members of IS linked Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and seized three firearms.

Lt. Colonel
Harold Cabunoc, 33rd Infantry Battalion commander, PNP Special
Action Force and armored personnel carriers raided the village of Tual in
Paglat town in Maguindanao aimed at arresting Sindatok Dilna, a sub-leader of
the BIFF under Commander Gani Saligan.

Troops backed
by armored vehicles from the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion and supported by
artillery fires from 7th Field Artillery Battalion, the government forces
raided the village of Tual, caught the suspects by surprise and neutralized
them.

They did not
resist arrest upon seeing that they were overwhelmed by our forces, Cabunoc
said. He said village officials witnessed the law enforcement operations.

Also recovered
were one Cal 5.56mm AR 18 Armalite Rifle and two 45 pistols. The suspects were
brought to 33rd IB headquarters for further questioning.

Cabunoc said
that the marshland areas of Maguindanao have become the hiding places for foreign
and local terrorists and political armed groups.

We have been
alerted by the intrusion of alleged members of ISIS-inspired jihadists who
mixed with the local population especially with the political armed groups in
the area, Cabunoc said in a statement.

We will not
allow them to dominate a particular terrain in my area of operation in order to
protect the gains of our past security operations here, said Cabunoc.

Cabunoc said
the Army is working closely with local authorities in convincing people to hand
over loose firearms in support to President Duterte’s order to collect illegal
weapons that proliferate in Mindanao. (Edwin O. Fernandez)