MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Tuesday to help control extremist group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), warning he will be forced to order the military to launch an all-out offensive if they won’t.
Duterte went to Maguindanao to have a dialogue with local officials after the radical armed organization seized the province’s Datu Paglas town over the weekend.
“Ang military, upon my orders, press for a fight in order to impose peace. Ngayon, kung hindi ninyo makumbinsi ang mga tao — alam ko ‘yung iba, ayaw sa inyo, maybe kalaban ninyo — but you must do so…
Keep on reading: Duterte to BARMM execs: Control BIFF or military will launch all-out offensive