A Moro Islamic Liberation Front soldier stands guards at a village checkpoint in Maguindanao province in Mindanao. The MILF has ordered its forces to rescue kidnapped Filipino-Chinese matriarch Conchita Tan, seized October 8, 2010 in Cotabato City in Maguindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 10, 2010) – Philippine Muslim rebels have joined government efforts to rescue a Filipino-Chinese matriarch kidnapped in the troubled region of Mindanao, south of the country.
The order came from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Central Committee.Rebel forces were also told to coordinate with Filipino authorities to avoid clashes with state soldiers also tracking down the 73-year old Conchita Tan.
Sammy Al Mansoor, who heads the military wing of the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, ordered rebel forces to exert all efforts to rescue Tan, who was kidnapped October 8 in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province after gunmen shot and killed two of her escorts.
Tan owns a hardware store in Cotabato and was heading home with her husband when gunmen attacked them. Tan’s husband was not hurt in the attack.
Von Al Haq, a spokesman for the MILF, said the rescue mission is a unilateral effort of the MILF because of an existing accord with the government.
The MILF forged an agreement with Manila in 2004 that paved the way for rebel forces through the ad-hoc joint action group to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the rebel group is actively operating.
“The Chief of Staff of Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces directed all commanders on the ground to rescue the kidnap victim and block all possible entries and exits (in Maguindanao), and shoot-to-kill the kidnappers if they fight back,” Al Haq said.
He said Tan is being held by a kidnapping syndicate headed by Mayangkang Saguile, a notorious bandit operating in Maguindanao province. “We have information that Mayangkang Saguile is holding the victim and we have pinpointed their hideout in Maguindanao,” he said.
The MILF in August also helped in the release of a kidnapped Chinese-Filipino trader Nestor Tay after three days in captivity in North Cotabato province. Tay, owner of the New Asian Marketing, was freed in Midsayap town.
The release of Tay came a day after Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels joined the search for the kidnapped trader. “Tay was freed because of the pressure exerted by the MILF to the kidnappers,” Al Haq said, adding, rebel forces had been mobilized in coordination with the ad-hoc joint action group to search and pressure the kidnappers to free Tay without ransom.
Gunmen abducted Tay in Cotabato City after barging inside his store and disarmed a security guard before dragging him away to a waiting van outside.
Kidnappings-for-ransom is not uncommon in Cotabato and dozens of wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and freed after their family paid ransoms to their captors.
The MILF, which is fighting for decades for self-determination, is currently negotiating peace with the Aquino government in an effort to put an end to bloody clashes in Mindanao, which had been ruled in the past by sultans. (Mindanao Examiner)
The order came from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Central Committee.Rebel forces were also told to coordinate with Filipino authorities to avoid clashes with state soldiers also tracking down the 73-year old Conchita Tan.
Sammy Al Mansoor, who heads the military wing of the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, ordered rebel forces to exert all efforts to rescue Tan, who was kidnapped October 8 in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province after gunmen shot and killed two of her escorts.
Tan owns a hardware store in Cotabato and was heading home with her husband when gunmen attacked them. Tan’s husband was not hurt in the attack.
Von Al Haq, a spokesman for the MILF, said the rescue mission is a unilateral effort of the MILF because of an existing accord with the government.
The MILF forged an agreement with Manila in 2004 that paved the way for rebel forces through the ad-hoc joint action group to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the rebel group is actively operating.
“The Chief of Staff of Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces directed all commanders on the ground to rescue the kidnap victim and block all possible entries and exits (in Maguindanao), and shoot-to-kill the kidnappers if they fight back,” Al Haq said.
He said Tan is being held by a kidnapping syndicate headed by Mayangkang Saguile, a notorious bandit operating in Maguindanao province. “We have information that Mayangkang Saguile is holding the victim and we have pinpointed their hideout in Maguindanao,” he said.
The MILF in August also helped in the release of a kidnapped Chinese-Filipino trader Nestor Tay after three days in captivity in North Cotabato province. Tay, owner of the New Asian Marketing, was freed in Midsayap town.
The release of Tay came a day after Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels joined the search for the kidnapped trader. “Tay was freed because of the pressure exerted by the MILF to the kidnappers,” Al Haq said, adding, rebel forces had been mobilized in coordination with the ad-hoc joint action group to search and pressure the kidnappers to free Tay without ransom.
Gunmen abducted Tay in Cotabato City after barging inside his store and disarmed a security guard before dragging him away to a waiting van outside.
Kidnappings-for-ransom is not uncommon in Cotabato and dozens of wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and freed after their family paid ransoms to their captors.
The MILF, which is fighting for decades for self-determination, is currently negotiating peace with the Aquino government in an effort to put an end to bloody clashes in Mindanao, which had been ruled in the past by sultans. (Mindanao Examiner)
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