Philippines: 6 killed amid further Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) clashes
Clashes between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its offshoot, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), took place on Friday and Saturday, with six fighters from the original group killed.
The fighting between the two groups began about two weeks ago in the marshy farmlands around Maguindanao’s Datu Salibo town, regional police spokeswoman Tara Leah Cuyco said.
“The MILF is trying to force the BIFF out of the area. They do not want any trouble,” Chief Inspector Cuyco told AFP.
A MILF guerrilla leader told a video journalist working for AFP on Saturday: “We do not want them here. It’s an order from the higher-ups.”
The MILF, which has more than 10,000 fighters, has waged a decades-long guerrilla war, first for independence and later autonomy for the large Islamic minority in the south of the largely Catholic Asian nation.