COTABATO CITY -- A leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and six followers were killed in a gun fight with security forces in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur on Sunday, June 18.
Police Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said the police and military were implementing a search warrant on the lair of BIFF leader Norjahid Husain in Barangay Demawato when the gunbattle occurred.
He said Husain and his armed followers shot it out with the operating team which resulted into death of seven members, including Husain.
One policeman was wounded in the encounter.
Authorities tagged Husain as a key leader of the local BIFF which was responsible for the attack on the Datu Paglas public market on May 8, 2021 and the bombing of the transmission tower of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines in Carmen, Cotabato in September 2016.
Husain was trained on bomb-making by Basit Usman, the late leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group, and was also linked to Pentagon kidnap-for ransom group led by Tahir Alonto.
Security forces recovered one M-16 rifle and three .45 caliber pistols from the slain BIFF men.