Wave 9 - ISS DEFIANT - Julian Bashir

Can I use MU Bashir to prevent a Barrage of Fire attack by targeting the secondary ship and forceing it to attack Bashir's ship rather than participating in the barrage? My question is 2 fold:
1. Does assisting in a BoF count as attacking
2. How does this apply to MU Bashir?
1. Does assisting in a BoF count as attacking
2. How does this apply to MU Bashir?