CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Philippines — About 450 families from the village of Tukanalipao in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, started returning to their homes on Monday, two days after renewed clashes broke out between government troops and Islamic State (IS)-linked militants. But most of these families still stayed with relatives and camped on roadsides, “waiting for the situation to settle down,” Ismael Hashim, Tukanalipao village chief, told the Inquirer. The fighting happened in the same area where the bloody encounter between the police’s Special Action Force (SAF), a group of Moro rebels and members of the IS-affiliated Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) broke out in January 2015. ADVERTISEMENT“We used every available asset we have … artillery and airplanes because the BIFF [fighters] were too many,” Encinas said. In January 2015, several teams of elite cops entered Tukanalipao to flush out Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, triggering a carnage that left 44 SAF members, 17 MILF fighters and five civilians dead.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer November 11, 2019 20:18 UTC