NewPhilippine military attacks hardline Muslim rebels days after peace accord
But officials say attack on breakaway faction was backed by MILF, the main Muslim rebel group now working with government after treaty
The Philippine military attacked a Muslim renegade faction on Monday, two days after the country’s main Muslim rebel group successfully ended negotiations to end a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands.
Soldiers, backed by artillery, attacked guerrillas of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in a remote village on the southern island of Mindanao, triggering fighting that sent hundreds of civilians fleeing, the military said.
Regional military spokesman Colonel Dickson Hermoso said the attacks were launched in a bid to arrest about 25 leaders of the BIFF, a small group of between 250 and 400 militants that is opposed to the peace process.
The attacks began on Monday morning and were continuing throughout the day, according to Hermoso, who said there were no immediate casualties.
Hermoso said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the 12,000-strong rebel organisation that wrapped up peace talks with the government at the weekend, was helping the military.
“The MILF are part of the law enforcement operations. They are just securing their communities so those [BIFF fighters] cannot enter. They are also angry at the [fighters],” he said.