COTABATO CITY – A bomb explosion had killed a tribal member and wounded another in an attack Thursday by the jihadist group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in the restive Muslim province of Maguindanao in southern Philippines.
Two other members of the tribal group Teduray were also taken hostage by the BIFF in Ampatuan town, several kilometers away from the town of Datu Unsay where the bombing that killed Diego Dagada, 24, took place. His elderly companion, Bada Dagadas, was also injured in the blast.
The bomb was planted on a trail leading to the victims’ farm, but it was unclear why the men had been targeted by the BIFF, although a tribal leader was also slain recently by the jihadists who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
The motive of the attacks was still unknown, but the BIFF is actively operating in Maguindanao, one of 5 provinces under the autonomous region, a hotbed of Muslim and communist insurgency. Both rebel groups have been fighting for their own separate state in the mineral-rich, but violent region.
The governor of Maguindanao, Esmael Mangudadatu, leader of a powerful political clan, did not release any statement on the continuing violence in the province that had already displaced many innocent civilians fleeing the fighting.
Military forces have been battling both rebel groups in separate fronts and recently bombed BIFF targets in Datu Unsay following a series of attacks by jihadists on army posts. (Mindanao Examiner)
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