ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 15 Jan) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), protested Monday the arrest of its 4 members on suspicion they were behind the spate of bombings in the troubled region of Mindanao, south of Manila.
At least 7 people were killed and more than 40 others injured in three bombings January 10 in the cities of General Santos, Kidapawan and Cotabato. Police tagged rouge MILF members, the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya as behind the simultaneous attacks.
Von Al Haq, leader of the MILF cease-fire committee, said the four rebels were arrested at the weekend by policemen and soldiers in separate operations in Cotabato City and Zamboanga City.
Two other men, both civilians, were also arrested by security forces in Cotabato City, he said.
He identified the arrested MILF rebels Surab Anok, Hussein Ahaddin, Mike Dalama and Andy Kalid. Al Haq said the 2 civilians were identified as Norodin Salik and Esmael Abo.
Al Haq said those arrested were innocent and had nothing to do with the bombings. “The MILF and its members had nothing to do with the recent explosions,” he said, adding, his group filed a formal protest with the government peace panel about the arrest of the four men, which violated the truce agreement.
Last week, authorities said it also arrested two Indonesian immigrants in connection with the attacks.
The MILF, quoting own intelligence reports, said Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network, were behind the attacks.
The rebel group signed a cease-fire agreement with Manila in 2001 and is currently negotiating for peace.
Last week, the National Democratic Front accused the Arroyo government as behind the rash of bombings which coincided with the opening of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Cebu City to justify the passage of an anti-terror law.
"The Arroyo regime stood to gain with the recent attacks as these will justify the passage of an anti-terrorism bill and a counterpart pact by the ASEAN members in Cebu," said Rubi del Mundo, spokesman of the regional National Democratic Front (NDF).
He said the latest Mindanao bombings also served to push ASEAN leaders to sign a convention to improve cross-border cooperation and share intelligence information against terrorist organizations.
Del Mundo did not identify who were behind the bombings, but said they were the “war dogs” of the Arroyo administration. The NDF is the political wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, whose armed group, the New People’s Army, is fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
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