AFP aims to end all-out offensive vs. BIFF on Wednesday - GMA News

As government troops were closing in on members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it is set to end its all-out offensive against the splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front this Wednesday, a report on “News to Go” said.

According to the report, the military believes the BIFF has only 350 remaining members, but soldiers may need additional time to clamp down on the rebels.

Armed Forces of the Philippine 6th Infantry Division head Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan on Monday requested a 72-hour extension on the all out-offensive which is currently on its sixth day.

The extension was approved by managing bodies of the peace agreement including the International Monitoring Team and The joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities.

After the extension, the AFP cleared a suspected BIFF training facility at a school in Brgy. Kitango in Datu Saudi town in Maguindanao.

The AFP also conducted air strikes and artillery fire targeting suspected BIFF hideouts.

Prior to the military offensive, preemptive evacuation was done in at least three barangays in Maguindanao to make sure civilians are out of harm's way, earlier reports said.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, thousands of residents had fled their homes in the villages of Kalbugan and Buliok in Maguindanao.

“Civilians are forced to flee out of fear. Displacement, especially when it’s prolonged and repeated, uproots people from their normal lives and causes untold suffering,” said ICRC Philippines head Pascal Mauchle.

The ICRC is among the leading groups that sent relief goods to the displaced residents of Maguindanao.

Meanwhile, members of the MILF pulled out from the area earlier to avoid a misencounter with state forces.

The MILF is currently engaged in a peace process with the government. The BIFF on the other hand opposes the process and had split off from MILF.

The AFP's all-out offensive stemmed from the Mamasapano bloodbath last January 25 where 44 police commandos were killed in an operation after a support unit was flanked and attacked by the MILF and BIFF forces. — Andrei Medina/LBG, GMA News

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