BIFF mustering fighters

MANILA, Philippines - The military is monitoring movements of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in apparent anticipation of an assault by government forces.

A security official, citing the developing security situation, said the tension is very high in Mamasapano and nearby areas, as the BIFF for the past days has been mobilizing its fighters.

“Despite this, our troops are under orders to maintain their positions,” the official said.

The town of Mamasapano was the scene of the worst loss of life by the Philippine National Police (PNP), where 44 of its elite Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed in separate clashes with the BIFF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last weekend.

Over 400 SAF troops swooped down on a remote village in Mamasapano on Jan. 25 to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir and his Filipino cohort, Basit Usman.

Zulkifli is a top suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings and one of the United States’ most wanted militants, with a $5-million bounty for his capture.

But after killing a person they believed to be Zulkifli, the SAF commandos came under separate ambushes from the BIFF and the MILF. Usman, however, was able to escape.