BIFF killed, Army captain injured in Maguindanao clashes

DATU SALIBO, Maguindanao --Intense fighting
resumed early Saturday between government forces and outlawed Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in at least three villages here, an Army
official today said.

The Army’s
Mechanized Infantry Battalion had to use artillery and heavy war materials as
the number of BIFF fighters continue to increase.

We suffered three
injured personnel, including an Army captain but all minor injuries,” Lt. Colonel
Warlito Limet, chief of 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion based in
Datu Saudi Ampatuan.Capt. Jimmy Amoloy, commander of 22nd Mechanized Company, sustained a slight wound in his forehead and is out of danger.

Colonel Limet,
citing intelligence information from the ground, said the BIFF suffered three
fatalities, including the son of a BIFF leader during the overnight’s exchange
of mortars and rifle grenades in the villages of Tee, Butilen, Andabit and
Sambolawan, all in Datu Salibo town.

Colonel Limet
said fighting erupted at 4 p.m. Friday when a dozen BIFF harassed a bridge
undergoing construction in Barangay Butilen.

He said Army
units were responding to calls for help by a private construction company
working on dredging operation in Barangay Butilen in preparation for the
construction of a bridge.

sand//scontent-hkg3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t34.0-12/12666396_10208459861281946_174381040_n.jpg?oh=4cd5cdd7921899f781b5a15ddaedc1c1andampoe=56B7FD11 As our troops
arrived, they were met by gunfire and rifle grenade attacks from the BIFF. Sporadic
fire fight ensued until Friday evening and toward Saturday dawn.

Limet said the
BIFF also torched a back hoe used for dredging operations.

Along the way
that the Army took in reaching the dredging site, Limet said, improvised bombs
were planted by the BIFF. Army bomb
experts defused the improvised explosives while sporadic exchange of mortars
and rifle grenades continue.

They have barret
snipers targeting our troops, so we fired back,” Limet said.

Colonel
Felicisimo Budiongan, 1st Mechanized Brigade commander, said the
military sees longer fire fight as BIFF from other towns in Maguindanao were
seen massing toward Datu Salibo over night.

Using night
vision goggles, the soldiers noticed BIFF heading toward Barangay Butilen as
reinforcements from the towns of Talayan, Guindulungan, Datu Piang and Shariff
Aguak.

The BIFF is opposed
to development. The government is dredging
the river and the silt are used as earthfil for farm to market road. A bridge will connect these barangay roads...the
BIFF does not like it, they are anti-development,” Budiongan said.

He said the
BIFF is gearing toward a pintakasi” operation against the military. We were
forced to use artillery against them,” he said.

The fire fight,
according to Datu Salibo Mayor Norodin Salazar, has displaced more than 1,500
families after fleeing overnight due to heavy fire fight.

Our people
wanted to have this project completed because all of them will benefit from it,
the problem is the BIFF,” he said.

Abu Misri
Mama, speaking for the BIFF, admitted his men are involved in the skirmishes against
government forces but denied his group is opposed to the project.

We are here
to fight for our members who were not compensated from the lands used by the
construction company,” Mama said in Filipino. sand//fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t35.0-12/12637151_10208459894802784_1559773469_o.jpg?oh=c6887330353fabf62c4c5fc0d38ca56candampoe=56B8235Candamp__gda__=1454917773_3b19b0392666c58e274f543c948be84c As of posting,
sporadic skirmishes continue in at least four villages of Datu Salibo.
(Ferdinandh Cabrera)