AFTER vacillating for days on the much-sought military response, President Aquino on Monday ordered policemen and soldiers to pursue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who ambushed troops and civilians in three provinces in Western Mindanao in the past seven days in what was seen as a move principally directed to stem the demoralization that is sweeping the ranks.
Mr. Aquino’s belated order poised the military for a showdown with MILF fighters in Basilan, Lanao del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, who as of Sunday have already killed 27 soldiers, three policemen and five civilians in a rampage and wounded 40 others.
A text message sent by the Army commander, Lt. Gen Arturo Ortiz, to military reporters said soldiers have been ordered to pursue MILF fighters who were behind the ambush in Sumisip, Basilan, Kabasalan and Alicia in Zamboanga Sibugay and in Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte.
Hours after the go signal was given, bomb-laden Air Force OV-10 armed reconnaissance aircraft and helicopter gunships bombed and strafed the position of MILF at Barangay Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay, with the first sortie recorded at 11 a.m. and the second run, 40 minutes later.
Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman, confirmed the bombing strike, but did not give other details.
The MILF admitted that it has forces in the province under its 113th Base Command.
The military activity in the province was later confirmed by the Army spokesman, Maj. Harold Cabunoc, although he clarified that the operations were directed against members of the kidnap-for-ransom group headed by Juaning Abdulsalam.
Law enforcement
“Law-enforcement operation to arrest notorious kidnapping group members, led by Juaning Abdulsalam, is in effect in Taib, Barangay Labatan, Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay, 11 a.m. today,” he said.
“About 200-strong combined policemen and Army troops implemented the operation backed by helicopter gunships and armored vehicles,” Cabunoc added.
He said the heavily armed bandits were holed up in bunkers and “running trenches.”
“The Army chief, Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz, has directed his subordinate commanders to pursue all lawless elements in their respective areas, while ensuring that the cease-fire agreement [with the MILF] is strictly observed,” Cabunoc added.
He said negotiations for the surrender of Abdulsalam and his men have failed in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief, said the operations against the bandits will continue until Abdulsalam and his men are neutralized.
“He should be brought to justice for all the past kidnappings and extortions done by him and his group. The clamor of the people from Zamboanga Sibugay is to end Abdulsalam’s notoriety,” he said.
“The MILF claims Abdulsalam as one of their commanders. They can actually assist us through the AHJAG [Ad Hoc Joint Action Group] and CCCH [Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities],” Ferrer added.
Police action vs Al-Barka killers
WHILE Mr. Aquino ordered full military operations against wanted MILF members in the given areas, he took the contrary action against the group’s other members in Al-Barka, Basilan, who massacred 19 Special Forces members by just ordering a law-enforcement operation or police action.
Soldiers said the law-enforcement operations amount to nothing as the perpetrators have already returned to their camp, and approval of the MILF leadership is needed if government forces pursue or arrest them, based on the existing cease-fire agreement between the government and the separatist group.
Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, Armed Forces spokesman, said the military has demanded the immediate surrender of the murder suspects through the cease-fire mechanisms.
Burgos said they were initially asking for the turnover of 16 wanted MILF members.
British envoy concerned
BRITISH Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Lillie has expressed deep concern on the recent spate of violent attacks in Mindanao but voiced support for the President’s refusal to declare an all-out war against the MILF.
As Britain supports the return to peace negotiations between the government and the MILF, he called on the Moro secessionists to end the spate of ambushes against government forces. He said the recent violent attacks by the MILF will diminish people’s confidence on the MILF’s position to talk peace with the state.
“I am seriously concerned by the reports of ambushes by MILF members in different parts of Mindanao over the past week,” said Lillie in a statement on Monday.
He added: “But meeting violence with violence will not solve the conflict in the southern Philippines. On the contrary, it is only likely to lead to a downward spiral of killing, with untold misery and suffering for innocent civilians.”
The British ambassador also said the MILF also needs to reassure the public of its sincerity to pursue peace talks with the government as the ambushes on government forces were being attributed to them. “The current spate of ambushes must stop.”
Lillie also raised concern on the impact of recent violence in the lives of civilians caught in the crossfire.
He said the last time wide-scale violence broke out, some 600,000 people were forced to flee their homes. “The people of the southern Philippines deserve better than that.”
Britain is one of four governments in the International Contact Group supporting the peace talks between the government and the MILF.
