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Philippine troops seize BIFF camp in Maguindanao
 [Gulf Today] After a 24-day sustained offensive, Philippine troops overran a "well-fortified" camp used to launch bomb attacks on villages and military installations by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao province.Major General Edmundo Pangilinan said helicopter gunships were used to help ground troops dislodge the rebels from their camp in a village in the town of Datu Salibo. Pangilinan reported that three soldiers were killed, the latest of whom held the rank of private first class when he stepped on a landmine left behind by the BIFF militants when they fled. Pangilinan warned, "It is still a very dangerous place," adding that ordnance experts have rushed to the scene to defuse the improvised explosive devices. He urged about 2,500 families or 125,000 individuals forced to leave their homes not to return to their villages until the military clearing operations have been completed. Pangilinan said the capture of the well-fortified camp dealt a major blow to BIFF rebels who used it to manufacture home-made bombs to launch attacks on villages as well as plant them along the major roads in Maguindanao and its neighboring provinces. Last week, one of the bombs planted along the roadside killed the municipal treasurer of Datu Salibo, his son and two other companions. The offensive was originally launched in response to an urgent request for assistance from a private contractor who was being harassed by the BIFF while undertaking dredging operations. The contractor reported that the insurgents set on fire his equipment. Posted by: ryuge 2016-02-24 |
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