Philippine Army hunt vs. MILF rebels continue

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Troops accused of killing Muslim girl in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 14, 2009) – Philippine soldiers killed a Muslim girl and injured two others during a raid on a suspected terrorist hideout in Maguindanao province in Mindanao, human rights advocates said.

The Liga ng Kabataang Moro said troops opened fire on a house in Sultan Kudarat town and killing the eleven-year girl. Two other house occupants were wounded in the weekend assault.

“The (military) operation did not follow standard search operation procedure, military entered the house without even knocking the door and began firing that led to death of a young girl and wounded others. We condemned this on the highest term,” said Michael Dumamba, the group’s secretariat.

The SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child-focused organizations in the Philippines, also condemned the killing and called on the Commission on Human Rights and Congress to investigate the girl’s death.

It said the soldiers were members of the Task Force Tugis of Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“The raid conducted by Task Force Tugis showed incompetence and is obviously inconsistent with proper rules of engagement. Such act is utterly condemnable as it is a clear violation of the child’s basic right to life,” said Sophia Garduce, a spokeswoman for the SALINLAHI.

Militant groups and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also blamed the military for many human rights violations in Mindanao.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said the girl was killed in a shootout between soldiers and gunmen and that authorities were investigating the incident.

“There is an investigation and we cannot say who killed the girl unless the probe in completed by the police,” Ponce said.

He said three suspected bombers were arrested during the raid and troops recovered an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar. Ponce did not say whether the trio was members of the MILF or other rebel groups.

Ponce has put the blame of every single bombing in Mindanao to the MILF, which is fighting for self-determination in the volatile, but mineral-rich region. (Mindanao Examiner)

PHILIPPINES: Soldiers torture a man with electric shocks to his sex organ to force a confession

ISSUES: Torture; right to liberty and security; administration of justice.


The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a man who was abducted by soldiers, tortured and held incommunicado for over three months remains in detention over questionable charges.

After abducting him on January 9, 2009, the soldiers tortured him to confess his involvement to the bombing and burning of houses in North Cotabato. He suffered electric shocks to his sex organ and was deprived of food.

CASE DETAILS: (According to information received from the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)-Mindanao)

On January 9, 2009 at 11am, Mansur Utto Salih was eating lunch with two others, Andy Makasaop and a person whose nickname is Gulam. At the time they were at Salih’s house and suddenly armed men entered. One of them shot at Salih prompting the latter to drop to the floor for cover.

Two men bound Salih and Andy's wrists, blindfolded and gagged them with adhesive tape.

The armed men then loaded Salih and Andy onto their vehicle that took them somewhere for about 30 minutes. In this place they could hear the sound of an airplane prompting them to believe that they must have been inside military headquarters of 6th Infantry Division (ID), Philippine Army (PA), in Barangay Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. The military's headquarter is also located at the Awang Airport.

The two were then taken inside a room and the adhesive tape binding their wrists were replaced with handcuffs (the scars were still visible when the interview was conducted). Salih and Andy were held incommunicado separately. Salih later learned that Andy had been released but he could not determine when. Unlike Andy, however, Salih was held for over three months.

When interviewed on April 16, 2009, Salih spoke of the torture and ill treatment he endured. His ankles were chained and the soldiers applied electric shocks to his sex organ, his body and behind his ears. Each time they applied the electricity the held it against him for four seconds.

Whenever he fainted they poured cold water on his face and body. He could no longer recall how many times he fainted. Both his feet became swollen when they were struck repeatedly with an iron bar. He was also punched about the stomach and chest several times. Salih sensed that there were three persons questioning him while six others were torturing him. During the questioning he was also deprived of food and water.

For seven consecutive days, Salih had experienced the same ordeal. He also noticed that he had been taken to three different rooms in which he was interrogated and tortured. Within this period, he was only given food and water on two occasions. He also remained chained.

On January 16, 2009, Salih was loaded onto a vehicle, handcuffed and blindfolded and taken somewhere on a journey that he believes lasted for about three hours. Upon reaching their destination, he was taken to a room where he was fed. But, as soon as he finished eating he was shoved to the cement floor. There, he was held incommunicado for two weeks. During those two weeks he was not beaten but only fed only once a day, either breakfast or lunch.

After two weeks of his detention, his custodian began spoon feeding him. However, when Salih asked the custodian to feed him slowly so that he had enough time to chew the food he would be punched. If he allowed the food to fall the person feeding him would hit his mouth with a spoon, kick him and punched his face. He was also fed with one or two spoonfuls of chilies every meal.

His ordeal went on until March 28, 2009. On that day, he was taken back to the military headquarters at the Awang Airport where he was held until April 6, 2009. During the entire day of the journey he was not given food and water.

On one occasion from between March 28 and April 6, Salih recalled having been taken to a doctor. However, Salih said the doctor did not properly examine him. He was only asked if he was in pain and checked his blood pressure. Salih was reluctant to tell the doctor of his ordeal as he was hoping that, should he keep quiet about what had happened to him, they would release him.

However, on April 7, 2009 at 12noon, Salih was first taken and remanded to the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in Amas, Kidapawan City. Two of those taking him in custody made him sign some documents, the contents of which was also not properly explained to him. It was learned later that those who had remanded him to prison were soldiers. It was only after entering the jail that his handcuffs and blindfold were removed by a jail guard.

To cover up the incident, the soldiers who took custody of him, deliberately falsified the date they took custody of the victim to April 1, instead of January 9, 2009.

Salih later learned that he had been charged with two counts of frustrated murder, in connection with the bombing incident that took place in Kidapawan City, and 29 counts of Arson regarding the burning of houses that took place in 2008, reportedly perpetrated by a rebel commander before the Regional Trial Court in Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Although Salih's case is being heard in courts in North Cotabato province, in June 2009 he was transferred to a jail in Bicutan, Metro Manila. His transfer was prompted by a resolution approved by members of City Council of Kidapawan City for his and several other detainees who are considered "high risk". The transfer took place after armed men attacked the North Cotabato Provincial jail.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The AHRC has documented cases wherein persons, mostly those persons who are accused of or suspected of perpetrating bombings, are subjected to brutal torture and held incommunicado at the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division's (ID), Philippine Army, at the premises of Awang Airport.

In April 2002, five persons, two of whom were at the time minors, were taken into the headquarters after having been arrested in separate incidents. They were accused of perpetrating the bomb blast in Davao City. They were blindfolded, electrocuted, beaten, and suffered dry and wet methods of suffocation to forced them to admit that they perpetrated the bombings.

In January 2004, a man was also tortured inside the headquarters. He was kicked, beaten and electrocuted. His fingers were squeezed after putting bullets in between them and he was forced to drink something that smelled like urine. They threatened to dump him into a canal and feed his sex organ to a dog.

In May 2007, two men, both belonging to Muslim minorities, were also tortured inside the headquarters following their arrest over allegations they were involved in incidents of bombing in Central Mindanao. They were also deprived of food.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the government agencies below to ensure that an impartial investigation is conducted into the abduction, torture and detention of the victim.

Those responsible, in particular the soldiers who remanded him to prison and the military leadership to the camp where he was held incommunicado, should be identified and prosecuted. The charges laid on him in court must be thoroughly reviewed. Once proven that the evidence on him was obtained by way of torture it must be withdrawn.

The AHRC has also written letters to the Special Rapporteur on the Question of Torture asking for his intervention into this case.


SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear_______,

Re: PHILIPPINES: Soldiers torture a man with electric shocks to his sex organ to force a confession

Name of the victim:

1. Mansur Utto Salih, 32 years old, married, a resident of Sitio Project, Ungap, Sultan Kudarat, Maguinadanao Province. He belongs to a Maguindanaon tribe. About nine persons interrogated and tortured him one after the other while he was held incommunicado inside a military camp in Barangay (village) Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao. He is presently detained in a jail in Bicutan, Metro Manila.

2. Andy Makasaop. He was released without any charges ahead of Salih.
Alleged perpetrators: Soldiers attached to the 6th Infantry Division (ID), Philippine Army (PA) whose headquarters are located in Awang Airport.
Place where the victims were abducted: Sitio project, Upper Ungap, municipality of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao

Date of incident: After he was abducted on January 9, 2009, he was held incommunicado detention until April 7, 2009.

I am writing to express my concern regarding the abduction, torture and detention of Mansur Utto Salih. He and his companion, Andy Makasaop, were abducted on January 9, 2009. They were taken to a place they came to know later as the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division, Philippine Army at the Awang Airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

Soon after arriving at the military camp, they were taken to separate rooms where they were subjected to questioning, torture and were held incommunicado. The adhesive tapes used to bind their wrists when they were abducted were then replaced with handcuffs. Their ankles were chained.

Although Makasaop had been released without charged, the soldiers kept Salih for over three months where he was subjected to questioning. He was tortured and moved from one interrogation room to the other.

For example, upon arriving at the Awang Airport on January 6, 2009, those questioning him applied electric shocks to his sex organ, his body and behind his ears several times. Each electrocution lasted about four seconds.

When he lost consciousness the soldiers poured water over him. His feet became swollen after being beaten with an iron bar. Those who tortured him forced him to confess masterminding the bombing incident in Kidapawan City and burning of houses in Midsayap, North Cotabato in 2008.

For seven consecutive days, Salih was tortured in the same manner in three different interrogation rooms. On those days, he was only given food twice and a glass of water. He could also not move properly as his ankles were chained and his eyes were blindfolded. The ordeal continued from the time of his abduction until he was remanded to the North Cotabato Provincial Jail in Amas, Kidapawan City on April 7, 2009.

I am extremely shocked at how the soldiers have treated the victim. The manner of his arrest, investigation and detention violates all the legal procedures that should have been strictly observed in arresting a person accused of a crime. Not only did the soldiers deliberately usurp the police power on arrest, they also turned their own military headquarters into a torture chamber.

Apart from Salih's case, there have also been previous cases in the past wherein persons, particularly those who are accused or suspected by the soldiers as having been involved in bomb attacks or rebel activities, have been tortured soon after being taken inside their military headquarters at the premises of Awang Airport, Cotabato City.

I therefore urge you to ensure that the victim's allegation of abduction, torture and being held incommunicado are thoroughly investigated. Should it be proven that the evidence used in the charges laid on him in court for bombing in Kidapawan City and burning of houses that took place in Midsayap in 2008 was taken by way of torture, they must be withdrawn. It is unacceptable that this person has had to face trial to charges that are questionable.

Lastly, I urge the Philippine government to live up to its obligation to the United Nation's Convention against Torture (CAT) to ensure protection to victims of torture. It should also take prompt action to ensure that the pending bill criminalizing torture is acted upon.


PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010
Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80

2. Ms. Leila De Lima
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, Diliman
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 929 0102
Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
E-mail: mtm_rodulfo@yahoo.com

3. Deputy Director General Jesus A. Verzosa
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2724 8763
Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
E-mail: ruth_cossid@yahoo.com

4. Ms. Agnes Devanadera
Secretary
Department of Justice (DoJ)
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura
1004 Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
E-mail: raulgonzalez_doj@yahoo.com

5. Lieutenant General Victor S. Ibrado
Chief of Staff
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
AFP-GHQ Offices, Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 911 6436
Tel: +63 2 911 6001 to 50

6. Mr. Quinciano V. Bueno
Regional Director
CHR, Region 12
Pascua Bldg., Arellano Street
Koronadal City
PHILIPPINES
Tel: +63 83 5538887

7. Mr. Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.
Secretary
Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Bldg., Camp Emelio Aguinaldo
E. de los Santos Avenue
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 911 6213
Tel: +63 2 911 9281 / 911 0488
E-mail: osnd@philonline.com

8. Mr. Avelino Razon
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 638 2216
Tel: +63 2 636 0701 to 066
E-mail: osec@opapp.gov.ph

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)

Soldiers threaten civilian lives by blocking food aid, burning houses in Maguindanao: AHRC

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Military shelling hit civilian areas in Mindanao, says MILF rebels

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 16, 2009) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels accused government troops of indiscriminate shelling after an artillery exploded near a refugee shelter in Maguindanao province in the troubled Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

It said at least three civilians, including a girl, were wounded in the explosion that occurred late Monday in the village of Libutan in Mamasapano town. The injured, Sapia Zainal, 10; Zaid Abas, 20; and Bayan Tunadzi, 23, were rushed to hospital in Cotabato City.

“Victims had sustained severe wounds in different part of their bodies,” the MILF said.

It said the shelling also hit the village of Linantangan and that several civilians were also injured from shrapnel.

Government forces launched offensive against the MILF after peace talks collapsed last year. The military said some 100 rebels were killed in the offensives, but the rebel group disputed the reports and branded it as propaganda.

”Civilian communities and makeshifts for internally displaced persons were not spared from the Armed Forces of the Philippines indiscriminate artillery and air strikes despite the fact that AFP know very well that its strikes were hitting civilian concentrations.”

“Dozens of innocent civilians had been killed and injured as a result of the AFP operations, but the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Justice of the Government had never bothered to execute their mandates on this AFP carnage. Tolerating this AFP atrocities and crimes committed with impunity can be equated to more and more and countless victims,” the MILF said.

Officials and spokesmen from the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, which is in-charge of the government offensive, could not be reached for comment. The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting the past three decades for self-determination in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Military reports, propaganda lamang - MILF

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 13 2009) – Binansagan na propaganda ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front ang ulat ng militar na 10 rebelde ang nasawi sa labanan sa magulong lalawigan ng Maguindanao sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Sinabi ni Eid Kabalu, isang senior MILF leader, na pawang mga palabas lamang ng military propagandists ang ulat at wala umano itong katotohanan.
"Every time the 6th Infantry Division comes out with a press release, you see MILF casualties in their reports. Even activities by criminals are blamed on the MILF. That's not psychological warfare, but propaganda to cover up for the military's human rights violations and its failure to defeat the MILF," ani Kabalu.

Idinagdag pa nito na walang maipakitang body counts o mga bangkay ang 6th Infantry Division sa bawat balitang ipinamumudmod nito sa media. Tinukoy pa ni Kabalu ang mansion ng isang pulitiko sa Maguindanao na illegal na kinupkop ng mga sundalo sa hinalang pagaari ito ni MILF commander Ameril Kato.

Sinabi ng 6th Infantry Division na 10 rebelde ang nasawi kamakailan sa labanan sa Maguindanao at nauna doon ay 30 rin ang inulat nitong napatay ng mga tropa. Ginagamit umano ng 6th Infantry Division ang media sa propaganda nito.

Sa kabila nito ay inanunsyo naman ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo na bubuksan nitong muli ang naudlot na peace talks sa MILF. Bumagsak ang peace talks matapos na madiskaril ang Muslim homeland deal na nilagdaan ng peace panels sa Malaysia nuong Hulyo ng nakaraang taon.

Ngunit ayon naman sa ibang mga MILF commanders ay taktika lamang ni Arroyo ang pagbubukas sa peace talks upang makapagkampanya ang mga administration candidates sa ARMM at ibang bahagi ng Mindanao para sa halalan sa susunod na taon. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Moro rebels deny military reports

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 13 2009) - Philippine Muslim rebels branded Saturday as propaganda claims by the military that at least 10 guerrillas were killed in fresh fighting in Mindanao.

Eid kabalu, a senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader, called the reports "a product of military propagandists" and said the claims were false.

"Every time the 6th Infantry Division comes out with a press release, you see MILF casualties in their reports. Even activities by criminals are blamed on the MILF. That's not psychological warfare, but a propaganda to cover up for the military's human rights violations and its failure to defeat the MILF," he said.

The army said 10 rebels were killed in the fighting in Maguindanao province in the restive Muslim autonomous region.

President Gloria Arroyo said she would resume stalled peace talks with the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group. Negotiations collapsed last year after Manila reneged on a Muslim homeland deal.

Other MILF commanders believe Arroyo only wanted to resume peace talks as a cover so her political allies can freely campaign in the Muslim autonomous region and other parts of Mindanao for next year's polls. (Mindanao Examiner)

6th Infantry Division Joins Army's 112th Founding Anniversary In Mindanao

The Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry Division celebrates its 112th anniversary Thursday, March 19, 2009 in Cotabato City plaza in Mindanao. Division commander, Major General Alfredo Cayton leads this year’s celebration. With the theme “Kasama ng Mamamayan Tungo sa Kapayapaan at Kaunlaran,” Cayton stressed the army’s role in peace and development efforts in the country. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

Philippine Army orders probe into media complaints against officer in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2008) – The Philippine Army has ordered an investigation into a controversial officer accused of berating a journalist covering a fire that razed an ammo dump inside a military base in Mindanao.

Lt. Col. John Oswald Bucu, camp commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao province, berated Loreto Rosario, of the Catholic radio station dxMS in Cotabato City, while reporting about an ammo dump which exploded October 31.

The officer also seized Rosario’s cellular phones and brought him at the camp’s public information office where Bucu continued to lambaste the journalist in front of soldiers.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, the army division spokesman, who knew Rosario, has already apologized to the journalist, but Bucu remains defiant despite mounting calls from media groups for the military to discipline the officer.

Other journalists covering the fire were also prevented from getting near the ammo dump even after the blaze was over. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has already demanded the military to discipline Bucu. His superiors have ignored these calls.

Bucu accused Rosario of intruding inside the camp and said that if not for him, soldiers could have shot the journalist, who has been covering the military the past years, reports said.

Journalists in Cotabato City have already boycotted coverage of the army division headquarters and demanded that relief of Bucu.

”The NUJP is demanding that the AFP impose strong sanctions against Bucu for his clear assault on press freedom,” the media organization said in a statement.

Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, 6th Infantry Division commander, has not responded to the NUJP demand, but journalists vowed to bring this to the attention of Defense Secy. Gilberto Teodoro and Philippine Army Chief Gen. Victor Ibrado.

Ibrado has already ordered an investigation into the NUJP complaints against Bucu, according to Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, the Philippine Army spokesman.

“General Victor Ibrado has already ordered General (Raymundo) Ferrer to conduct an investigation on the matter,” Brawner told the Mindanao Examiner. Brawner said the embattled army officer insisted he was just protecting Rosario who was trying to get near the burning ammo dump.

Both Ferrer and Bucu are currently in Manila because of the ongoing investigations into the fire that destroyed the ammo dump.

The NUJP said Rosario’s case was not the first time that Bucu has targeted journalists. Two years ago, at a gathering of reporters at the headquarters of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade in North Cotabato, Bucu allegedly branded NUJP Kidapawan chapter president Malu Manar a member of the communist rebel group New People’s Army.

Manar is also the program director of the Catholic radio station dxND in North Cotabato.

“We understand Ando has apologized for the incident, which speaks well of Ando but highlights the utter arrogance of Bucu. The only conclusion we can draw is that Bucu thinks he can get away with what he did, just as many of the brains behind the scores of unsolved media murders do. Even more disturbing, however, he is clear proof of the culture of impunity that has thrived in this country because of official inaction, even apathy, towards continued attacks on media.”

“Indeed, we would not be surprised if Bucu had taken his cue to harass Rosario or, earlier, to publicly slander Manar, from this government’s actual attempts to muzzle the independent Philippine press, as we saw in the short-lived state of emergency of February 2006 and the more recent arrest of journalists covering the Manila Peninsula incident last year. The AFP should impose on Bucu the sanctions he so richly deserves for his clear assault on press freedom. Failure to do so will only reinforce the perception that there is, at best, tacit official approval of attempts to silence the media,” an Asian Press report, quoting the NUJP, said Thursday. (Mindanao Examiner)

Army ammo depot explodes in Mindanao

AFP Chief-of-Staff General Alexander Yano and Eastern Mindanao Command chief Armando Cunanan inspect burnt bullet shells on Friday, Oct. 31, 2008 after an army ammunition depot explodes inside the 6th Infantry Division headquarters in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 31, 2008) – A Philippine military ammunition dump exploded Friday in Mindanao, security officials said.

Officials said there were no reports of injuries or casualties from the explosion inside the headquarters of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao province, where security forces are battling Moro Islamic Liberation front rebels.

“This is accidental and apparently it was caused by a leak of white phosphorous from defective munitions. There were no reports of injuries or casualties,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, an army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The explosion sparked a fire that totally destroyed the ammunition building.

Ando said the ammunition dump is located between two hills which served as blast barriers and buffer zone. “The defective munitions, including unserviceable mortar rounds, had been exposed to the elements and this is could be the cause of the leak of the chemicals that triggered the explosion,” he said.

General Alexander Yano, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, also inspected the destroyed ammunition dump. The AFP ruled out sabotage or rebel attacks as the cause of the blast, but it has ordered an investigation into the incident.

White phosphorus can cause injuries and death in three ways - by burning deep into soft tissue, by being inhaled as a smoke and by being ingested. It is insoluble in water and alcohol and self-igniting in air. Extensive exposure to the chemical in any way can be fatal. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Photo: Our Heroes!

Philippine Air Force Tactical Operation Group (TOG 12) of the 3rd Air Division under Lt. Col. Dionisio Robles, (left), and Philippine Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Rolito Abad, (2nd from left), and 6th Infantry Division spokesman Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, (right), during a “search and rescue” conference in Maguindanao province, ravaged by typhoon Fengshen. The Army and the Air Force led a massive operation to rescue trapped villagers in areas submerged by flood waters in central Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

MILF Umatake Sa Mindanao!

Halos maiyak ang amang si Abdulah Samad at asawang si Kadija habang binabantayan ang kanilang anak na nasugatan matapos tamaan ng ligaw na bala sa kasagsagan ng labanan sa pagitan ng militar at Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels sa bayan ng Midsayap sa North Cotabato. Hindi maiguhit ang mukha ng batang si Nor-in sa tindi ng tinamong trauma. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 09 Mar) – Dalawang sibilyan ang nasawi habang isa ang sugatan kasunod ng panibagong bakbakan sa pagitan ng Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) at militar sa bayan ng Datu Saudi Ampatuan sa Maguindanao.

Nabatid kanina kay Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman ng Army's 6th Infantry Division, nagpakawala ng ilang rounds ng 105-howitzers ang militar laban sa tinatayang 150 MILF rebels na sumalakay sa detachment ng militar sa Dapiawan dakong alas-12:30 ng kahapon ng madaling araw.

Nakilala ang napatay na lolang si Tauti Taha, 60 anyos at apo nitong si Rasul Balat, 15 anyos at sugatang si Abdul Razul Maguid, 14 taon. Wala namang naiulat na nasugatan o nasawi sa panig ng tropa ng pamahalan sa labanang tumagal hanggang alas-6 ng umaga.

Sinabi ni Ando na matapos na harasin ng mga rebelde ang kanilang mga tauhan sa Midsayap, North Cotabato, tinarget naman ang mga sundalo sa Maguindanao upang makaganti sa militar. Tinatayang 17 MILF fighters ang napatay kasunod ng naunang engkuwentro sa North Cotabato.

"After harassing our troops in Midsayap town in North Cotabato, our soldiers in Datu Saudi Ampatuan are their targets. They are really retaliating for the deaths of their comrades. It's not our fault," depensa ni Ando.

Gayunman, sinisi ni Mohagher Iqbal, MILF's chief peace negotiator, ang militar sa panibagong sagupaan na nag-ugat sa pagpasok ng mga sundalo sa kanilang teroritoryo nang walang koordinasyon. "I don't know if these attacks are sanctioned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines or just within the 6th Infantry Division," ani Iqbal. (Ulat nina Juley Reyes sa Manila at Mark Navales sa Mindanao)