DAVAO CITY— Armed followers of a Moro revolutionary faction were able to penetrate this week into a major military camp in Maguindanao and reportedly confiscated some small weapons from government soldiers, the group said.
But the Army’s Sixth Infantry Division belied the claim of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter, a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which was on tract to conclude a comprehensive peace settlement in Mindanao.
The BIFF spokesman, Abu Misry Mama, told DavaoToday on Friday, that its fighters were able to intrude into a portion of the Camp Brig. Gen Gonzalo H. Siongco, headquarters of the 6th ID at Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
“We have seized two .45 caliber pistols and one M16 rifle during our offensive operation,” he said.
Mama said the BIFF carried out the incursion on Tuesday, the same day that a bomb went off inside the Rural Transit Bus which claimed the lives of 11 and injured 42 others, including —whom majority of the victims were college students from Central Mindanao University.
(The military blamed the BIFF for the bomb explosion inside the bus and quickly identified some BIFF leaders as behind the explosion. Mama belied the allegation saying that it was not their practice to attack civilian targets.)
Mama did not reply however, when sought for details of the BIFF attack of the 6th ID Camp Siongco.
Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman of the Army’s 6th ID, dismissed the BIFF claim and said that “there’s no official incident report that Bangsamoro Freedom Fighter has intruded and disarmed army troopers last Tuesday”‘.
“There is no truth to that because the BIFF’s pronouncement was all propaganda,” he said.
Instead, Hermoso went back to the bus bomb explosion to emphasize that BIFF had carried out the bomb attack on the bus. “BIFF is the prime suspect in the bus bombing.”
“Ultimately, the laws will cath up with these criminals. Numerous arrest orders against BIFF leaders and members have issued already and in due time they will serve their jail time. They must answer their crimes committed against the people,” Hermoso added. (davaotoday.com)
