GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 19 June) – A senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) confirmed Monday that the seven men killed in a law enforcement operation before Sunday dawn in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur were MILF members.
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF Peace Implementing Panel chair, said on Messenger those killed were legitimate MILF members, refuting the claims of the military that those slain were members of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
He noted the MILF is preparing to file a complaint against the operating team for allegedly breaching the ceasefire agreement and the terms of reference of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).
AHJAG is a cooperative mechanism in the Bangsamoro peace process between the government and the MILF that responds to criminality and terrorism in areas with MILF presence.
“(There’) no coordination (for the law enforcement operation),” said Iqbal, also the Minister of Education in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
In a video interview with BrigadaNews Cotabato, Mirinda Madidis Husain said her sons, Nasser Yussef Husain and Nurjihad Husain, both killed in the joint law enforcement operation, were subordinates of George Kasim, commander of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces National Guard Division.
““The two were legitimate members of the MILF under Sir George Kasim … There’s no BIFF members here,” she said in Filipino.
MILF spokesperson Von Alhaq confirmed in a phone interview that Kasim is a top MILF commander and that “most of those killed were known to the MILF.”
Unlike Iqbal, Alhaq, however, did not confirm nor deny if those killed were MILF members, saying that “an internal investigation is still being conducted by the front.”
On Monday, the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) said the seven persons killed in Barangay Damawato, Datu Paglas were members of the BIFF – Karialan Faction.
The joint operation was conducted by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, commander of Joint Task Force Central, said the operating troops conducted the operation against Nasser Yussef Husain, alias Tutin Usop, and Nurjihad Husain, alias Datdat Usop.
He said the troops were serving search warrants on the suspects for alleged violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
“When they were approaching the subjects’ residence, an undetermined number of BIFF members fired upon the government forces, wounding one police personnel,” he said.
The troops fired back, which resulted in the deaths of the seven BIFF members, including the two subjects of the search warrants, he added.
Rillera said that government forces seized six firearms – one Uzi, two M16 rifles, and three caliber .45 pistols and assorted ammunition – during the operation.
Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, WestMinCom commander, commended the troops of Joint Task Force Central for their “significant accomplishment.”
“Our troops will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to quell terrorism and other criminalities. Our collaborative efforts ensure that terrorism and lawlessness have no place in our area of operation,” Galido said.
On Sunday, Brig. General Allan Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office in the BARMM, said the two main targets, the Husain brothers, were also allegedly involved in criminal activities, including the bombing of a power line of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines and the 2021 attack and occupation of the Datu Paglas public market. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
