Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) militants conducted simultaneous attacks against security forces in Datu Piang in Maguindanao. Authorities looked into reports that a German couple kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf may be captive on a southern island. Captured Abu Sayyaf commander Khair Mundos has told authorities that he met last year in Maguindanao with Marwan a.k.a. Zulfikli bin Hir, a top Malaysian terrorist suspect who was reportedly killed in 2012; the meeting at a BIFF camp also included a Singaporean militant, Muhamda Ali a.k.a. Muawiyah, and another militant, Amin Baco, said to be a Malaysian. On Aug. 6, the military said that bin Hir, a top Jemaah Islamiyah leader also wanted by the US, is alive and in Mindanao. A group called Ansar al-Khalifah in the Philippines, from southern Mindanao, issued a video announcing its allegiance to the Islamic State.
