MILF leader's brother killed in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 4, 2010) - An unidentified assassin killed a brother of a senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader in an attack in the troubled city of Cotabato in the southern Philippines, police said on Saturday.

Police said gunman fatally shot Nasser Kabalu in the village of Bagwa late Friday. The victim's brother Eid Kabalu is a leader of the MILF and the group's former spokesman.

The motive of the attack is still unknown, but police said it has began an investigation into the murder. The victim, police said, was walking on his way home when the gunman tailed and shot him at close range.

The attacker, whom police initially identified as Abu, escaped after the shooting. (Mindanao Examiner)

Muslim farmer killed after attacking army soldier in Maguindanao province

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / January 25, 2010) – A government soldier was wounded after a farmer whom he tried to arrest for carrying a sickle near a checkpoint attacked him in the southern Philippines.

Other soldiers also manning the checkpoint fatally shot the farmer in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town. The military blamed the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, in the weekend attack. It said the man was a member of the MILF, an accusation strongly denied by the rebel group.

“The MILF has nothing to do with the attack. The reports we have received said the soldier was trying to arrest the farmer and confiscate his sickle which he was using in his farm. Apparently an altercation ensued and for a still unknown reason, the farmer attacked and wounded the soldier. The farmer was later killed by soldiers,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Military officials could not be immediately reached to comment on the reports.

Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, is under a state of emergency after the brutal murder of 57 people, including at least 31 journalists on November 23 in Ampatuan town.

A scion of the powerful political clan, Andal Ampatuan Jr., the mayor of Datu Unsay, allegedly led the killings. Among those murdered were the wife and two sisters and supporters of Esmael Mangudadatu, the vice mayor of Buluan town who is running for governor of Maguindanao – a position being held by the mayor’s father and namesake, Andal Ampatuan Sr. - in the May elections. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines resumes peace talks with MILF rebels

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 8, 2009) – Philippine government peace negotiators on Tuesday resumed stalled talks with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front in an effort to end decades of bloody clashes that had killed tens of thousands of people in Mindanao.

Peace negotiators met in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia which is facilitating the talks, but both sides are not expected to issue any statement until after the meeting ends on Wednesday.

“We expect a fruitful outcome of the peace talks and we hope both sides would be able to sign an agreement beneficial to all,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the independent newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

The resumption of the talks came after both the MILF and the government peace panels approved the establishment of the International Contact Group composed of the United Kingdom, Japan, and Turkey and The Asia Foundation, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, the London-based Conciliation Resources and the Indonesian group Muhammadiyah as international nongovernmental organization members.

The formation of the ICG finally cleared the way for the formal resumption of the peace talks, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal said last week.

Iqbal said the ICG serves as guarantee that both the government and MILF comply with all signed agreements. Iqbal was referring to the Muslim homeland deal initially signed by peace negotiators, but declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The failed signing of the homeland deal sparked a series of rebel attacks that killed and wounded dozens of civilians in Mindanao.

In October, the MILF and government peace panels also signed an accord ensuring the protection of civilians in areas in Mindanao where there are fighting.

“The Framework Agreement on the formation of the International Contact Group and the Agreement on the Protection of Civilians are essential mechanisms to prevent the repeat of the debacle in Kuala Lumpur on August 5, 2008 when the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain was not signed by the government, as well resulting displacement of more than 600,000 people in Mindanao,” Iqbal said.

The agreement on civilian protection reaffirmed the commitment of the MILF and the Philippine government for the observance of the international humanitarian law and respect for the internationally recognized human rights instruments and the protection of the internally displaced persons.

President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks with the MILF in 2001 in an effort to end decades of bloody Muslim secessionist war in the restive, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao, south of the Philippines, where rebels are fighting for self-determination.

The agreement on civilian protection component will be incorporated into the Terms of Reference of the International Monitoring Team which would be discussed during the peace talks. The international cease-fire monitoring team was previously composed of Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Libya and Japan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Moro rebel linked to bombings is captured in Mindanao

A Philippine Army soldier mans his post in Cotabato City. Troops and policemen captured a Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel allegedly behind the spate of bombings in Kidapawan City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 24, 2009) – Philippine authorities arrested a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front implicated by the military to the spate of bombings in Kidapawan City in Mindanao, officials said on Thursday.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Badrudin Dalungan was held at a checkpoint on Wednesday in Cotabato City near Maguindanao province.

He said Dalungan is a member of the MILF’s special operations group tagged as behind the 2007 bombings in Kidapawan that killed and wounded several civilians.

“MILF-SOG Badrudin Dalungan was arrested on Wednesday afternoon at a checkpoint in Cotabato City. (He has) warrants of arrest for multiple frustrated murder in connection to the series of blasts in Kidapawan City in 2007,” Ponce said.

He said Dalungan’s arrest came a day after security forces also captured Camarudin Hadji Ali alias Commander Mudi at the house of one his wives in Cotabato City after a long intelligence and surveillance operations.

Ali is a leader of the MILF’s 105th Base Command under Ameril Umbra Kato and they are both wanted for the series of deadly attacks last year in Mindanao, according to Ponce.

He said the rebel leader has a bounty of more than a million pesos for his capture.

The MILF said authorities arrested the wrong men. “They got the wrong guys,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Early this month, troops captured Benjamin Esmail Satol, an alleged member of the MILF’s special operations group linked to the July 5 bombing outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. At least five people were killed in the attack.

Satol was held at an army checkpoint in the village of Makir in Datu Odin Sinsuat town after soldiers seized a hand grenade from his bag.

The MILF, which is fighting the past three decades for self-determination, is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

Peace talks collapsed in August last year after rebel and government negotiators failed to sign a homeland deal which the Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional.

President Gloria Arroyo resumed the peace talks this year in an effort to put an end to bloody fighting in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF nagmatigas, hindi isusuko ang mga lider na sabig sa atake sa Mindanao

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Setyembre 19, 2009) - Nagmatigas ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front kahapon na hindi nito isusuko ang mga lider na isinabit ng militar at pulisya sa madugong atake sa Mindanao nuong nakaraang taon.

Unang hiningi ng pamahalaang Arroyo sa MILF na isuko sina Abdurahman Macapaar, Ameril Kato and Sulayman Pangalian na siyang itinuturong nasa likod ng paglusob sa Lanat at Sarangani, gayun rin sa North Cotabato at Maguindanao nuong nakaraang taon.

Maraming nasawi sa naturang atake at sinunog pa ng mga rebelde ang ilang kabahayan sa mga lalawigan.

Mismong si MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim ang nagsabing hindi nito isusuko ang mga lider dahil iimbestigahan pa ang mga ito ng shariah court.

Ito rin ang unang sinabi sa Abante ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, at Eid Kabalu, spokesman ng nasabing grupo. Itinanggi na noon ng mga lider ang kanilang pagkakasangkot sa atake na naganap matapos na mabasura ang Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain nuong Agosto. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen attack police post in North Cotabato, 3 wounded

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Liderato ng MILF, hati kay Manny Pacquiao!

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / August 18, 2009) – Hati ang opinyon ng liderato ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa proposal na gawin negosyador ang Pinoy boxing legend na si Manny Pacquiao.

Mismong si Senator Aquilino Pimentel ang nagpalutang ng proposal dahil umano sa katanyagan ni Pacquiao. Ngunit sa panig naman ni MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal ay dapat sapat umano ang kaalaman ni Pacquiao upang maintindihan ang problema ng mga Muslim sa Mindanao.

Pabor naman si Pacquiao na tumulong sa pamahalaan para sa kapakanan ng bansa at ng peace process.

Hindi naman mabatid kung makaka-apekto ba ang pagiging Army reservist ni Pacquiao sa kanyang role bilang negosyador kung sakaling patusin ng Malakanyang ang proposal ni Pimentel. Si Pacquiao ay isang sarhento sa reserve command ng Philippine Army.

Maaring manganib rin ang buhay ni Pacquiao dahil baka ito madukot habang nakikipagusap sa mga rebelde at ipatubos sa kanyang pamilya.

Sinabi naman sa Mindanao Examiner ni Eid Kabalu, isang senior MILF leader, na walang masama kung tumulong si Pacquiao sa peace talks.

“With all due respect, kahit saan galing ang good idea that will contribute to the resolution of the Bangsamoro problem is welcome. Kahit sino basta makakatulong sa kapayapaan ay welcome,” ani pa ni Kabalu.

Ngunti sinabi ni Kabalu na kung talagang sinsero ang Malakanyang na gamitin si Pacquiao bilang isa sa mga negosyador ay dapat itong pormal na ihain sa peace panel.

Idinagdag pa ni Kabalu na sa sobrang yaman ni Pacquiao ay pede itong makakatulong sa maraming mahihirap na Muslim sa Mindanao. “It’s good if he can spend some of his wealth for the improvement of the lives of our poor people in Mindanao,” wika ni Kabalu. (Mindanao Examiner)

8 wounded in Mindanao mortar explosion

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 7, 2009) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Philippines largest Muslim rebel group, accused government troops of firing a mortar round that wounded at least 8 people in North Cotabato province in Mindanao.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said the mortar exploded Thursday afternoon near a government school in the village of Macasendeg in Pikit town where children were playing.

He said soldiers deployed in the town fired the mortar to break up fighting between two groups of warring families; one of them has links with the MILF and the other with the army.

“The soldiers sided with one group and that worsened the situation. Instead of initiating peace talks to stop the fighting, the military - as it always did in the past - preferred war over peace and the result - eight people were injured in the mortar fired by soldiers,” Kabalu told the Mindanao Examiner.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division said the police are already investigating the blast.

“There is a police investigation going on and we cannot say anything more,” said Colonel Jonathan Ponce, the army spokesman.

Manila has resumed peace talks with the MILF after a yearlong fighting killed more than 1,500 soldiers and rebels and displaced more than 600,000 civilians in Mindanao.

The MILF is fighting the past three decades for self-determination. Peace talks collapsed in August last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal which the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)

OIC praises truce in South RP

Army soldiers read the Mindanao Examiner newspaper in the southern Philippines. Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have forged a truce recently and would revive stalled peace talks in Mindanao. The Organization of the Islamic Conference praised the cease-fire and urged both sides to resume peace negotiations. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 27, 2009) – The influential Organization of the Islamic Conference has praised Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the cessation of hostilities in the troubled region of Mindanao.

President Gloria Arroyo has ordered the military to halt offensives against the Muslim rebels in an effort to revive the stalled peace talks with the MILF.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, has reciprocated Arroyo’s gesture and also declared a truce. But the MILF said it would resume peace talks only if Arroyo honors the Muslim homeland deal which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional.

Peace talks collapsed in August last year both sides failed to sign the homeland deal that Christian politicians had opposed.

Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC Secretary General, also called on the Arroyo government and the MILF to exert efforts in resuming stalled peace talks and realize security, peace and development in the southern Philippines.

He said OIC is ready and willing to make all-out efforts to assist in the peace process.

Foreign ministers of the OIC member states have previously expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the southern Philippines because of the fighting that displaced more than 600,000 mostly Muslim civilians in Mindanao.

The MILF has welcomed Ihsanoglu statement, but said the OIC has to be more active in helping put an end to more than three decades of hostilities in the southern Philippines.

“We welcome the statement of Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, but the Bangsamoro people need more concrete actions from the OIC to help in putting an end to the conflict in Mindanao that has affected more than half a million people,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Malaysia, a member of the OIC, is brokering the peace talks between the Philippines and the MILF.

Kabalu also has sought aid from the OIC to help starving Muslim refugees in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Muslim rebels halt offensives in troubled South

Muslim villagers call for a halt in fighting in the southern Philippines while troops shell Moro rebels in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 25, 2009) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has declared truce on Saturday, ending fierce fighting that killed more than 1,500 soldiers and rebels in the volatile region of Mindanao.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, said Murad Ebrahim, the secluded leader of the MILF, has signed the suspension of all military actions against the government.

He said Ibrahim ordered rebel forces to strictly implement the truce.

“We are reciprocating the government’s suspension of military operations against the MILF. With these declarations of cease-fire, we can now move on and talk about peace in Mindanao,” Iqbal told the Mindanao Examiner.

Iqbal said the truce is important for the resumption of the peace talks. “This is confidence-building measure so the peace process can move on without any obstacles,” he said.

Filipino leader Gloria arroyo ordered a halt on all military offensives against the MILF in an effort to revive the stalled peace talks. Arroyo’s decision came after the military said its arsenal is being depleting by the fighting which began last year after the peace talks collapsed.

Security officials said more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting, but the MILF disputed the report and claimed that mujahideen forces had killed as many as 500 government soldiers.

More than half a million people were also displaced in the war and are currently in temporary refugee shelters in Maguindanao province.

The MILF previously said it would only resume the peace talks if Arroyo honors the Muslim ancestral domain deal that negotiators initially signed in July last year.

Arroyo scrapped the homeland deal after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord that would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

The MILF’s announcement of truce came after police announced the capture of an alleged MILF bomber, Salman Mohamad Ali, in the Maguindanao town of Shariff Aguak on Thursday.

Ali was tagged as behind the July 5 bombing outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City that killed 6 people and wounded over 50 others.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said his group has nothing to do with the bombing. “The MILF has no involvement in the bombing,” he said.

The MILF is fighting the past three decades for self-determination. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines, MILF peace negotiators meet in Malaysia; Arroyo halts offensive in Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 23, 2009) – Filipino leader Gloria arroyo has ordered a suspension of military offensive against the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as negotiations for the resumption of the collapsed peace talks continue in Malaysia.

Arroyo’s decision came after the military last week said its arsenal is depleting because of the offensives against rebel forces in Mindanao. But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the halt in the government offensives will pave the way for the resumption of the stalled peace talks with the MILF.

The military launched the offensives last year after peace talks collapsed. Security officials said more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting, but the MILF disputed the report and claimed that mujahideen forces had killed as many as 500 government soldiers.

Manila said it would resume peace talks with the MILF in an effort to forge an agreement that would put an end to decades of bloody fighting in the volatile, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao.

The MILF previously said it would only resume the peace talks if Arroyo honors the Muslim ancestral domain deal that negotiators initially signed in July last year.

Arroyo scrapped the ancestral domain deal after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord that would have granted Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

“The Arroyo government has realized that there is no better way to address the Muslim problem but through peaceful means and not with the barrel of the gun,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Kabalu said rebel and government peace negotiators led by Mohagher Iqbal and Rafael Seguis are in Malaysia and discussing the possible resumption of the collapsed talks. “The MILF is for peace as we always say. Peace negotiators are in Malaysia and discussing how to resume to the peace talks,” he said.

Kabalu said Malaysia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is helping in the peace process. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines to resume peace talks with MILF, NPA rebels

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – The Philippines on Wednesday said it is ready to revive the collapsed peace talks with Muslim and communist rebels following the spate of bombings and fighting in the troubled region of Mindanao.

Government peace talks with the New People’s Army collapsed in 2004 after both sides failed to sign an agreement that will put an end to four decades of bloody fighting in the country.

Peace talks also with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front broke down after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain in August last year.

The NPA accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on an agreement that would free political prisoners and stop the killings of activists in the country, among others. While the MILF said Arroyo reneged on a deal that would have granted to some four million Muslims their own homeland in Mindanao.

“After 40 years of fighting, it’s time we give peace a chance,” said Secretary Avelino Razon, the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

Razon’s call came after a series of recent bombings blamed by the police and military to the MILF killed six people and wounded dozens more in the southern Philippines.

“The government sees a good prospect for the resumption of the talks in the immediate period given the commitment of both parties to work in addressing the issues that clog the negotiating table,” Razon said.

Razon, a former Philippine police chief, said he is optimistic the stalled peace talks between the government and the MILF would resume despite the four bombing attacks that occurred in Mindanao since Sunday.

He urged the MILF to return to the peace negotiations to stop the fighting in Mindanao where security forces are battling rebels since the collapsed of the talks. The clashes displaced some half a million people in Mindanao.

Razon said the wave of bombings in Cotabato City, Iligan City, Sulu and Lanao del Norte province would not deter the government from pushing the peace process with the MILF.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said rebel and government negotiators are currently holding unofficial talks in Malaysia for the resumption of the stalled peace talks.

“The MILF chief peace negotiator, Brother Mohagher Iqbal and the Philippine representative Rafael Seguis are now in Kuala Lumpur and they are discussing with the Malaysian government the possibility of resuming the stalled peace talks,” Kabalu said.

Malaysia, an influential member of the Organization of Islamic Conference, is helping in the peace process. “The ball is in the hands of the Philippine government. It is the Arroyo government which can resolve the Mindanao problem,” Kabalu said.

Razon said the Arroyo government is determined to end the fighting not only in Mindanao, but all other conflict areas in the country. He said the government would like to see a conclusion of the peace process, particularly with the MILF and the communist rebels by 2010 as envisioned by President Arroyo.

Razon also said that the government has intensified its rehabilitation and development projects in Mindanao and other rebel-influenced areas. But the MILF said continued government offensive against the rebels resulted in a humanitarian crisis and unabated human rights violations against Muslims.

Razon also announced that the government would lift suspension of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees with the NPA to allow the rebels to resume peace talks.

Communist leaders earlier called on the citizens “to employ to the fullest all forms of open protest and armed resistance against all of Gloria Arroyo's moves to perpetuate her reign through all means foul and brutal.”

Arroyo is to step down next year when her term ends, but her allies in Congress are campaigning to amend the Constitution and eventually change the presidential form of government to parliamentary.

Opposition politicians and civil groups opposed to Arroyo said amending the Constitution would eventually prolong her stay in power. Arroyo is said to be eyeing a congressional seat in her hometown in Pampanga province next year to evade possible law suits from corruption scandals that rocked her administration.

“Gloria Arroyo is increasingly becoming desperate with time running short and her schemes at reign perpetuation through 'legal' means exposed and opposed at every turn. More and more of Arroyo's dirty, out rightly illegal and fascist cards are now coming out of her sleeves, including the replication of Marcosian tactics to extend her reign of terror and corruption,” the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines said in a statement.

“There is really nothing new about these moves of naked power perpetuation. The bombing spree going on now is an exact replication of Marcos' bombings in many areas of Metro Manila in 1971 and the first eight months of 1972 that eventually led to the imposition of martial law," the CPP said, referring to Philippine dictator President Marcos.

The CPP said it directed the NPA rebels to intensify its offensives against the government. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine rebels hold kidnap suspect in Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – Philippine Muslim rebels on Wednesday said it is holding a man implicated in the kidnapping of a boy in Mindanao.

Eid Kabalu, a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said rebel forces seized Mohamin Abo last week after police authorities tagged him as behind the kidnapping of John Kyle Chongson in Cotabato City on June 26. He said Abo was a former disc jockey at a radio station in Mindanao.

He said Abo is being investigated by a rebel court for his involvement in the kidnapping. “He is currently under detention and being investigated for his role in the kidnapping of the boy. He would be put on trial and punish accordingly if found guilty by the MILF's Shariah court,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Police tagged the Pentagon Gang as behind the boy’s kidnapping. But the military also linked the MILF to the kidnapping; however, Kabalu denied his group was involved. “That’s why Abo was arrested by the MILF after we learned about his involvement,” Kabalu said.

The four-year old boy, son of a rice dealer, was recovered by policemen late Tuesday on a remote village in Maguindanao’s Datu Odin Sinsuat town. Police also blamed the Pentagon Gang for two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year.

It was unknown if ransom was paid but other reports said the kidnappers originally demanded P15 million for the boy’s liberty. Police said no ransom was paid.

Kabalu also admitted that Abo has a relative who are members of the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao.

The MILF had previously hanged in public several criminals it arrested in the past for various offences against Christians and Muslims.

The arrest of Abo came after the MILF ordered its forces to arrest and take drastic actions against kidnappers in areas where the rebels are actively operating. It was the second order in seven years that the MILF told rebels to fight kidnappings-for-ransom.

Police and military authorities have previously accused rogue MILF members of either coddling kidnappers or themselves involved in the nefarious activities in Mindanao to raise fund for the purchase of weapons or finance their secessionist campaign.

Kidnappings-for-ransom has become a lucrative business for rebels and criminal syndicates in Mindanao, where many areas are underdeveloped and job opportunities are scarce.

Sometimes criminal gangs kidnapped civilians and hand them over to rebels in exchange for a cut in the ransom. Poverty has also been blamed for many kidnappings in Mindanao.

“The Central Committee of the MILF directs its freedom fighters comprising the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces to arrest and take drastic actions against the perpetrators of this heinous crime until these criminal activities are neutralized and stopped in MILF areas,” said an MILF order signed on Monday by the Front’s chief of staff, Sammy Al-Mansur.

“Anti-kidnapping task force is hereby organized for this purpose. For strict compliance and implementation,” it further said. The order was also signed by Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s vice chairman for political affairs.

In February 2002, the MILF also issued a similar order after Manila sought its help in running after kidnappers in the southern Philippines. President Gloria Arroyo who opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 also signed a truce with rebels.

And in 2004, the MILF forged an agreement with Manila 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 operating.

But peace talks collapsed in August last year after the MILF accused Arroyo of reneging on a preliminary Muslim homeland deal. The Supreme Court said the agreement which was initially signed in Malaysia in July 2008 is unconstitutional.

Since then, fighting between military and rebel forces continue. The MILF said it will not resume peace talks unless Arroyo honors the ancestral domain deal. Arroyo is to step down next year without any significant deal with the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF begins own probe into deadly bombing in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 6, 2009) – Philippine Moro rebels have began a parallel probe into a deadly bomb attack outside a Catholic church that killed 5 people and wounded over 50 others in the troubled South.

Military authorities blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the weekend bombing in Cotabato City. But the MILF denied the accusation and has started its own investigation into the attack.

“We have began our own investigation and we also wanted to know who was behind the bombing or whether the military or other group opposed to the peace process was involved in the attack,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Kabalu said they suspected that government soldiers were behind the spate of bombings in the restive Muslim autonomous region where security and rebel forces are fighting.

“There were persistent reports from Muslim villagers that soldiers were behind the bombings to discredit the MILF,” he said.

He said civilians reported on Saturday that they saw a man clad in MILF uniform planted a bomb in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town and then retreated at an army detachment in Buayan village. The bomb exploded minutes later and injured three people.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the spate of bombings in Mindanao were the handiwork of the MILF.

“The MILF was behind all these attacks. This is terrorism and the MILF is targeting innocent civilians because of our campaign against rogue rebels, against terrorism,” he said, adding the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya provided bomb-making training to MILF rebels.

President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks in 2001 with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence, but negotiations collapsed in August last year after both sides failed to sign a Muslim homeland deal.

The rebels accused Arroyo of reneging on the deal that peace negotiators initially signed in Malaysia in July 2008 in Malaysia, which brokered the talks. The Philippine Supreme Court said the agreement was unconstitutional.Since then fighting broke out in many areas in Mindanao.

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim called on rebels to be steadfast and patient in the face of the “brutalities” of the military. He also accused government troops of burning some 3,000 houses owned by Muslims and indiscriminate bombing, shelling, and arrests of civilians in Mindanao.

Murad said the military also imposed a food blockade from reaching tens of thousands of hungry refugees and prevented humanitarian groups and journalists from inspecting refugee shelters in Maguindanao.

Murad assailed the military for saying that the MILF infiltrated refugee shelters and rebels were using evacuation centers as base for reserved forces.

The military claimed more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting since last year. But Murad denied the report and said MILF forces killed about 500 soldiers and captured their weapons, including two unmanned aerial vehicles shot down in Maguindanao. One of them was a US military spy plane and the other was believed to be owned by the Philippine Army. US troops are deployed in Maguindanao and helping the local military fight terrorism. (Mindanao Examiner)

4 killed in bombing outside Catholic church in Mindanao

Philippine National Police - Scenes of Crime Officers investigate the explosion Sunday, July 5, 2009 outside a Catholic church in Cotabato City. Four people are killed and over three dozens injured in the attack blamed by the military to Moro rebels. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano).

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 5, 2009) – At least 4 people were killed and about three dozens wounded in a bomb attack Sunday near a Catholic church in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines.

The Catholic Notre Dame Broadcasting Corporation said the bomb exploded at around 8.20 a.m. near restaurants and stalls selling roasted pigs outside the church in downtown Cotabato, also home to minority Muslims.

An army vehicle passing near the church was also hit by shrapnel from the explosion largely blamed by the military to Muslim separatist rebels.

“The Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s special operations group is behind this attack and this is terrorism,” Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ponce said the casualties in the bombing were civilians. “The bomb was detonated just as the people are coming out of the church,” he said.

Ponce said the MILF was also behind a roadside bombing late Saturday in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town that wounded 3 people.

The MILF has denied it was behind the latest blast and condemned the attack, saying, it was against Islamic principle.

“We condemned this attack against innocent civilians, against the Church. This is against Islamic principle and against humanity,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Kabalu also assailed the 6th Infantry Division for quickly linking the MILF to the attack.

“This (accusation) is clearly aimed at maligning the MILF and portraying the MILF as a terrorist organization. The army has already blamed the MILF even if the police is yet to investigate the bombing. This could also be the handiwork of the military to create fear and chaos in Mindanao,” he said in a separate interview.

The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting the past three decades for self-determination.

The blast occurred after the MILF ordered its forces to further improve combat skills as fighting continues in the troubled region.

The secluded Murad Ebrahim, chieftain of the 12,000-strong MILF rebels, gave the order during a meeting with his commanders on a mountain hideout in central Mindanao where fighting since last year had forced tens of thousands of Muslims to flee their homes.

”It is only by sincere evaluation of these encounters that the MILF would be able to improve its fighting skills and capabilities and hope to lick the enemy in the next confrontation,” Murad said.

The MILF peace talks with Manila collapsed last year after rebels accused President Gloria Arroyo of reneging on a homeland deal that would have granted territories to about four million Muslims across 700 villages in Mindanao.

Murad said he always preferred peace negotiation over war in the resolution of the conflict in Mindanao, but continued government offensive forced the rebels to defend themselves. He called on rebel commanders to be steadfast and patient in the face of the “brutalities” of the military.

Murad also accused government troops of burning some 3,000 houses owned by Muslims and indiscriminate bombing, shelling, and arrests of civilians.

He said the military also imposed a food blockade from reaching tens of thousands of hungry refugees and prevented humanitarian groups and journalists from inspecting refugee shelters in Maguindanao.

Murad assailed the military for saying that the MILF infiltrated refugee shelters and rebels were using evacuation centers as base for reserved forces.

“The prevention of media to visit the war-torn areas by the AFP contributed to their bad image and the declaration of the military that the internally-displaced persons are reserved forces of the MILF is a blunder in the war for propaganda,” Murad said.

The military claimed more than a thousand rebels were killed in the fighting since last year. But Murad denied the report and said MILF forces killed about 500 soldiers and captured their weapons, including two unmanned aerial vehicles shot down in Maguindanao.

One of them was a US military spy plane and the other was believed to be owned by the Philippine Army. US troops are deployed in Maguindanao and helping the local military fight terrorism. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

Mindanao refugee shelters infiltrated by rebels: Military

Muslim refugees lined up for food ration. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 2, 2009) – After displacing tens of thousands of civilians, the Philippine Army now said that Moro rebels have infiltrated refugee shelters in Mindanao.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said rebels have posed as refugees and they are the MILF’s reserved force.

He also said that food ration intended by the World Food Programme to refugees were being diverted to the MILF after troops recovered some of the aid from captured rebel bases in Maguindanao province, scene of bloody battle between security forces and guerrillas in recent months.

“Based on the proofs, indications, and observations presented, there seems to be a diversion of relief goods from the supposed ‘IDP’ beneficiaries to the MILF,” he said.

Ponce said there had been increased attacks and bombings near refugee camps, bolstering suspicion that the MILF have been using the evacuation centers as a springboard for military offensive against government forces.

“Terrorist actions are executed within the immediate environs of the IDP (internally displaced people) centers,” he said.

But the MILF denied Ponce’s allegations and branded them as propaganda.

“It is a black propaganda, but nobody believes Ponce’s lies anymore. We have been calling for an independent probe into the killings of many civilians by soldiers and the burning of houses by the military.”

“The military’s campaign to crush the MILF has resulted in a humanitarian tragedy with tens of thousands of Muslims being forced out of their villages by indiscriminate army shelling and human rights violations. The United Nations and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) and the World Muslim League should look into these carnage,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

The MILF said more than 600,000 have been displaced by the fighting in Mindanao since last year after peace talks collapsed in August. The rebels accused Manila of reneging on a Muslim homeland deal, which the Supreme Court said was unconstitutional.

After the talks collapsed, rebel forces raided several towns and killed and wounded dozens of people in Lanao and North Cotabato provinces. The MILF is the Philippines largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the restive, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Mindanao bombing leaves 9 wounded

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao / June 27, 2009) – At least 9 people were injured Saturday in a fresh attack blamed by the Philippine military to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the restive region of Mindanao.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said rebels detonated an improvised explosive planted at a commuter bus depot in Tacurong City.

“Nine people were injured in the blast and two of them are in critical condition,” he said.

Ponce quickly blamed the MILF and tagged a rebel leader Abdul Basit Usman as behind the attack, even as police is still investigating the blast. “The special operations group of the MILF under Basit Usman is behind this bombing,” he said.

The MILF strongly denied the accusations and urged police authorities to investigate the latest bombing.

“We have nothing to do with the bombing of the bus terminal. Police should investigate whether this (attack) was connected to extortion or business rivalry,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the explosion, but previous attacks on bus terminals had been largely blamed by the police to extortion syndicate called the Al-Khobar gang.

In April, a powerful bomb explosion also ripped through a commuter bus in Koronadal City and wounding at least 6 people. Scores of people were also killed and wounded in bus depot bombings in Mindanao in recent years. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

5 wounded in MILF offensive in southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 24, 2009) - Suspected Moro rebels attacked a village in the southern Philippines and wounding 5 people as fighting continue in the troubled region of Mindanao, officials said.

Officials said Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels fired mortars on Tuesday afternoon at an army detachment in the village of Santa Clara in Sultan Kudarat’s Kalamansig town.

There were no reports of military casualties, but one mortar shell exploded near a school, wounding a woman, said Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

He said a group of policemen, who rushed the injured civilian to the hospital, were also ambushed by rebels on their way back home, wounding four of them.

“The MILF is now very desperate, even shelling civilian communities and clearly shows that the MILF leadership remains futile as they can no longer control their forces in the ground,” Ponce told the Mindanao Examiner.

The MILF claimed responsibility for the attack on the army detachment, saying, it was in retaliation to government offensive against the rebel group. It said the woman injured in the attack is wife of an army soldier.

“Rebels targeted only the detachment, which is being used as a springboard to attack MILF targets in the town. There was no school near the detachment,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

Kabalu said they were still investigating the attack on the policemen. “We still don’t know who were behind the attack, but the policemen were injured in a bomb explosion in the village of Cadiz, which is far away from where the rebels attacked the army detachment,” he said.

The MILF is the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting for self-determination in the troubled South. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF rebels raid Mindanao village

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 23, 2009) – Suspected Moro rebels killed a civilian and wounded four others in a raid on a southern Philippine village, officials said Tuesday.

Officials said about 20 Moro Islamic Liberation Front gunmen raided the village of Labungan in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao and also destroyed a back hoe owned by RDI Construction.

“Four civilians are wounded and another was killed in the rapid fire which lasted about 30 minutes,” Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ponce said the attack was triggered by the failure of the construction firm to pay extortion money. “The motive here is extortion,” he said, adding RDI executives received an extortion letter prior to the raid.

He said troops were sent to the town Tuesday to track down raiders. The MILF has denied the accusuation. "We have nothing to do with it," Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region, a known stronghold of the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence the past three decades.

Manila’s peace talks with the MILF collapsed in August last year after the rebel group accused the Arroyo government of reneging on a Muslim homeland deal initially signed by both sides in Malaysia.

The Supreme Court said the agreement was unconstitutional. (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)