THE military is fine-tuning an operational plan against lawless elements hiding in the lairs of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Basilan, but this is anchored within the bounds of the cease-fire mechanisms on the ground, Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr., Armed Forces deputy chief of staff for operations (J-3), said.
Aside from Basilan, law-enforcement operations by joint military and police forces are being implemented in two more provinces to arrest lawless elements.
“We’re talking about three fronts: one in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay; one in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte and one in Al-Barka, Basilan. We’ve ongoing deployment and operations in Payao and Sultan Naga Dimaporo,” Mabanta said.
MILF-perpetrated ambushes in the towns of Alicia and Kabasalan and Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte, claimed the lives of four soldiers and four policemen.
“In Basilan, we are determining specific objectives with one thing in mind, focused military operation and the need for no collateral damage,” he said, following persistent criticisms coming from different sectors and even some allies of President Aquino about his soft position against rogue Moro rebels conniving with lawless elements.
In the said province, government security forces were dealing with the MILF’s 114th Base Command under the leadership of Long Malat and supported by the group of Abu Sayyaf subleaders Furuji Indama and Dan Laksaw Asnawi.
Mabanta reiterated there is no area of temporary stay (ATS) for MILF rebels in Al-Barka that’s why any law-enforcement operations against lawless elements in the place “will have to work within the cease-fire mechanisms.”
He said the move is included in the overall plan to relentlessly conduct law-enforcement operations jointly implemented by the military and the National Police to arrest all identified criminals involved in the kidnapping, extortion, terrorism, including those responsible in the October 18 Basilan carnage that left 19 soldiers of the Army’s Special Forces dead in Sitio Bakisung, Barangay Cambug in Al-Barka.
On October 23 Asnawi’s group ambushed again a truckload of plantation workers in Sumisip town, killing five persons including a militiaman.
“If we need to serve warrants then we will do that… We will have to serve justice, go in and serve because there are laws of land that has to be implemented and be pursued,” said Mabanta when asked in case MILF rebels will prevent them from entering their lairs and serve warrants for the lawless elements.
“They cannot do that…we will have to insist on that because as of now there’s no recognized ATS in the place,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mabanta said more troops were deployed in the strike operations in Payao town in Zamboanga Sibugay where 100 to 150 lawless elements led by Wanning Abdul Salam, leader of the MILF 113rd Base Command and the Special Operations Group, were holding positions.
Aside from the 102nd Infantry Brigade and two companies from the Special Forces and Scout Rangers, Mabanta said they also deployed the 104th Infantry Brigade and one Light Reaction Company in the area of operations in Barangay Labatan.
Operationally, Mabanta said the conflict area is 3.4 kilometers by 1-km but the marsh area is much bigger than the land area.
He said “the enemy bunkers were well-fortified and equipped with high-powered firearms.”
“Sementado ang kanilang mga bunkers,” he said.
Mabanta could not give a timeframe of the assault and would not give an answer to a question about the logistics strength of the rebels.
Since fighting started on Monday two have been killed and four wounded on the government side, while six were killed and 40 wounded on the enemy side.
“We have recovered four enemy bodies so far and two surrendered with their firearms such as a 60mm mortar, an M-79 grenade launcher and an M-16 rifle,” Mabanta said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.
Four bomb-laden OV-10 “Bronco” reconnaisance planes from the Air Force (PAF) have conducted four sorties of eight 500 pounds and seven 650 pounds bombs aside from firing rockets while on the ground, the Army subjected MILF positions to artillery barrages.
If strong resistance persists, Mabanta said there will be more bombing and rocket sorties as well as artillery bombardments.
In the same news conference, Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera clarified that only 4,138 families—1,586 in Al-Barka and 2,551 in Zamboanga Sibugay—were actually being served at designated evacuations centers.
“From the conflict area in Payao, we’ve only 106 families evacuated and they were being served at our evacuation center in sitio Tinago,” she said.
Cabrera could not immediately gave an estimate how many more families were evacuated or voluntarily evacuated from the other areas which were not directly affected but their places were situated several kilometers away from conflict area.
