By Joel M Sy Egco & William B Depasupil/Manila Times
Malacanang yesterday appealed to leaders of groups, including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), to renounce violence and consider the benefits of the final peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“The last annex (on normalisation) has just been signed. Let’s give it a chance,” said presidential deputy spokesman Abigail Valte.
Valte said instead of waging war, the leaders should study the issues surrounding the agreement.
“Let’s look at the annexes. Let’s look how beneficial it will be to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao,” she said.
According to her, the atrocities committed by the BIFF will only make people suffer and stunt development in areas where the BIFF operates.
“We seek lasting peace in Mindanao. There are places that really suffer because of these incidents and we all want to have peace there,” Valte said.
Government troops hoisted the Philippine flag on Saturday in the biggest camp of the outlawed group in Maguindanao.
The seven-hectare camp in Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saidona town was the base of more than 500 BIFF fighters led by Ustadz Karialan.
For five days, it was pounded by artillery fire by combined elements of the Army’s 601st Brigade, the First Mechanised Brigade and the Sixth Infantry Division.The BIFF’s leader, Ameril Umbrakato, vowed to fight to the death.
On the issue of child fighters, Valte said the government condemns the practice as she defended the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from criticism, which said that troops killed three minors fighting for the BIFF during the offensive.
“You know, that is what the military is saying…that once everybody puts on uniforms and you’re in your combat gear already, it’s hard to distinguish (a child from an adult warrior),” she said.
Military spokesman Lt Col Ramon Zagala said “Operation Darkhorse” was terminated after the three-day extension requested from the Joint Ad Hoc Joint Action Group of the government and the MILF ended yesterday. The military said 52 BIFF fighters were killed and 49 were wounded in the offensive.
One soldier was killed and 20 others were injured. Eight civilians were wounded.
Besides the BIFF’s main camp in Shariff Saidona, the military captured three smaller camps and a makeshift explosives factory.
“Operation Darkhorse” was launched late last week in support of the PNP’s drive to serve arrests warrants on Umbrakato and his followers who were facing various charges including kidnap for ransom and murder.
Zagala said the three-day extension was crucial in applying pressure on the BIFF.
“It allowed the military to press further into areas where the BIFF were entrenched and prevented the spillover of violence by containing the lawless elements in these areas,” he said.