Government troops arrested five people and seized three firearms following a raid in a hideout of a commander of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters at the outskirts of Paglat town in Maguindanao at 5:30 a.m. on Friday.
The identities of the arrested suspects were temporarily withheld pending the outcome of the tactical interrogation against them.
Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the 33rd Infantry Battalion, said the operation was conducted by combined troops from the Philippine Army and police Special Action Force against the BIFF faction of Sindatok Dilna, also known as “Motolite,” an associate of Gani Saligan of the BIFF.
Cabunoc said troops from the 1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion backed by Armored Personnel Carrier positioned themselves near the suspected BIFF safe house in Tual Village.
Government forces from the 33rd IB and 4th SAF then raided the hideout of the suspects even as the military rained artillery fire to prevent the terrorists from escaping. Cabunoc said the suspects did not resist arrest after they were overwhelmed by government troopers.
“We handcuffed five suspects and interrogated them in the presence of local government officials who witnessed the operations,” he said.
After the assault, troops seized three firearms consisting of one cal. Armalite Assault Rifle and two M1911A1 Cal. 45 pistols.
Cabunoc said that aside from the terrorists, the hinterlands of Maguindanao are also being used as hiding places by private armies identified with local politicians.
“We have been alerted by the intrusion of alleged members of ISIS-inspired jihadists who mixed with the local population especially with the political armed groups in the area. We will not allow them to dominate a particular terrain in my area of operation in order to protect the gains of our past security operations here,” Cabunoc said.
The Army is working closely with local authorities in convincing local residents to hand over loose firearms to demonstrate their support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to collect illegal weapons that proliferate in Mindanao.
Last week, the BIFF suffered another setback as 13 of its fighters were killed in a series of skirmishes with security forces in different areas in Maguindanao.
Four bandits also surrender in the following a relentless military campaign.