PHILIPPINE National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa has alerted police in Mindanao to possible attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as a diversionary tactic to get the military to ease up its operations against them.
Government troops began shelling BIFF positions in the town of Shariff Aguak and Datu Unsay in Maguindanao on Wednesday. Airstrikes were also launched.
The intensified offensive against the BIFF came after the government declared that the crisis in Marawi City, which was overrun by Maute group terrorists, was over.
Meanwhile, military search and rescue personnel on Friday rescued five fishermen abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Group off Tawi-Tawi waters, a few miles from where they were taken by the bandits.
Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the Army’s Western Mindanao Command, said the successful rescue took place in the waters off Sugbay Island, Languyan, Tawi-Tawi at about 1:30 p.m., barely 34 days after ASG pirates took them hostage.
The rescued victims were identified as Vergel Arquino of Davao City, and Jushua Ybanez, Emo Fausto, Junald Minalang and Spriano Sordid, all of Pagadian City.
The victims were the crew of Fishing Boat Danvil 8 when abducted by the ASG while cruising near the coastal area of Poblacion Simbahan, Pangutaran, Sulu.
A spokesman for the Armed Forces, Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, said the military is monitoring eight foreign terror suspects in Mindanao, after a published report said that as many as 100 were already in the country.
“We don’t have information about 100 terrorists. We are monitoring a much lower number,” Padilla told radio dzMM in a mix of Filipino and English.
The eight terrorists are bomb experts who teamed up with the BIFF, Padilla said.