MILF continues to hunt for wanted BIFF leader

MAGUINDANAO — Moro guerillas friendly to Malacañang have expanded their search in the province for the injured leader of a militant group in the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Officials of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has an ongoing peace overture with President Rodrigo Duterte, have been hunting since August 1 for Esmael Abdulmalik, self-proclaimed “amir” of a third faction in the outlawed BIFF.

The group of Abdulmalik, a former henchman of slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, most known as Marwan, uses the black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as its revolutionary banner.

Commanders in the two other BIFF groups, one led by Imam Bongos and the other by Imam Karialan, have confirmed that Abdulmalik was wounded in an encounter with pursuing MILF fighters last week in Datu Salibo town in Maguindanao.

The official spokesmen of the two BIFF groups have denied any knowledge on Abdulmalik’s condition and location, insisting that their leaders have long disowned him for his allegiance to ISIS. “They are playing safe. They don’t want to mess with the MILF while avoiding to catch the ire of Abdulmalik,” said a municipal official.

The official also affirmed the reports stating that the radical Abdulmalik had been wounded in a recent firefight with MILF guerillas.

Sources close to Imam Bongos and Imam Karialan said yesterday that the two clerics are both worried the MILF will target them next in keeping with its commitment to help the government prevent the spread in central Mindanao of misguided jihadist blocs operating in the fashion of ISIS.

Local officials in the adjoining Salibo, Datu Saudi, Datu Piang and Sharif Saidona towns in Maguindanao told reporters yesterday that members of the MILF’s Task Force Ittihad have dispatched more fighters to locate the injured Abdulmalik. “He was wounded a gunfight with MILF guerillas,” said an elected official.

The police said there were also reported arrests five days ago by MILF forces of five followers of Abdulmalik while trying to escape towards Datu Piang town, which is close to central Mindanao’s 220,000-hectare Liguasan Delta.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division last week tightened security in the province in anticipation of possible bombings by Abdulmalik’s ISIS-inspired group to avenge the death of his son, Hamdi, in an encounter with MILF members early on.