PHILIPPINE MILITARY ATTACKS HARD LINE MUSLIM RENEGADES?

MANILA -  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 Dickson Hermoso told AFP 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 Colonel 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 on 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 BIFF,” he told AFP.

MILF military spokesman Von Al Haq confirmed that the military had coordinated with the MILF before the attack.

Source: Agencies