2 US soldiers killed in blast in Southern Philippines

The remains of a destroyed US military vehicle after a roadside bombing Tuesday, September 29, 2009 in the southern Philippine island of Sulu. Two US Special Forces soldiers and a Filipino marine were killed in the attack believed carried out by militants. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan).

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 29, 2009) – Two US soldiers and a Filipino marine were killed in a roadside bombing Tuesday in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Philippine military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr said the blast killed two American soldiers and a Filipino marine in Sulu province. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

“We still don’t know who was behind the attack, but two US troops and a Filipino soldier were killed in the roadside bombing,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Police said three more Filipino soldiers were wounded in the attack that targeted the US and Philippine military convoy. Earlier reports said two US American soldiers were also wounded in the blast, but Brawner claimed that only two had died from the attack.

The attack occurred at around 8.30 a.m. in the village of Kagay in Indanan town where local troops are battling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants since last week.

Security officials did not identify the slain US soldiers, but the wounded Filipino marines are all in critical condition. Other sources in Sulu named the slain Americans as SSG Jack Martin and SFC Christopher Shaw.

Brawner said the US and Filipino troops were on their way to inspect a school project when their vehicles rolled over a landmine.

US Special Forces are deployed in Sulu since 2006 and aiding the Philippine military in defeating the Abu Sayyaf. Although security officials deny US forces were directly involved in combat operations, there were numerous reports from civilians that American soldiers actually participated in the operations aimed at capturing or killing militant leaders in Sulu and other areas in the restive southern region of Mindanao.

A US soldier was also killed and another wounded in a bomb attack at a roadside cafe near an army in Zamboanga City in October 2002.

Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga city, said the US and Filipino troops were in a convoy heading to a school project when the bomb went off.

“The US troops are not involved in the operation against the Abu Sayyaf. They were there because there is a school project in the village,” Dolorfino said in a separate interview.

The wounded troops were rushed to a military hospital in Jolo town, where another bomb exploded at a police post.

There were no reports of casualties in the explosion which occurred at around 10.30 a.m. in the village of Kasanyangan.

Police said an improvised explosive was used in the attack in the village of Kasanyangan, but there were no reports of casualties. “This is the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf. We have tightened security in the villages to prevent future attacks,” said Chief Inspector Usman Pingay, commander of police forces in the capital town of Jolo.

He said the explosion targeted the command post of the Regional Mobile Group. The attack occurred three days after policemen killed an Abu Sayyaf militant, Karim Juldani, and captured another Albashir Adjili, in a firefight in Jolo town.

The two, Pingay said, were trying to sneak into Jolo when policemen stopped them near a checkpoint. He said police seized weapons from the two men.
Pingay ordered additional checkpoints around the town and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant and report to the police or military suspicious persons in their area.

“We must defeat terrorism. Citizens should stay vigilant,” he said.

The attack occurred just as troops continue their operation against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants tagged as behind the series of bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom in Sulu, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.

Fighting in Sulu between troops and militants had killed 42 people, including eight marines who were ambushed by the Abu Sayyaf in Indanan town last week. Nine soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

The Moro National Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996, accused the military of attacking its forces in Sulu’s Indanan town. It said troops shelled one of its camps, killing two of its members and wounding 8 more.

The military’s Western Mindanao Command denied the accusations and said the offensive targeted the militant groups – the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiya – adding, two of its feared terror leaders Mauiya and Quayem are being protected by the Abu Sayyaf.

Madarang Sali, deputy supreme commander of the Bangsamoro National Liberation Front, said military offensive against the MNLF still continues in Sulu. “Up to this time, the military offensive is going on,” he said on Tuesday.

He said government operations were directed as MNLF leader Khaid Ajibun who had escaped a military raid last week. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Military Intensifies Hunt For Rebels In Jolo Island

Soldiers recover ATM card of rebel leader Ustadz Khabir Malik from a Moro National Liberation Front camp in Jolo island; and Southern Philippines military chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo and regional army commander Maj. Gen. Nehemias Pajarito inspect seized MNLF weapons. Also Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon speaks to soldiers in Jolo island and visits a soldier wounded in a clash with Malik's group. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

JOLO ISLAND – The Philippine military has ordered a massive manhunt against Moro National Liberation Front rebels and Abu Sayyaf militants on the island of Jolo, as troops continue their offensive for two weeks now.

Government soldiers shelled Wednesday an MNLF mountain hideout after Abu Sayyaf militants sought refuge there.

Troops were battling the MNLF forces under Ustadz Khabir Malik also known as Habier Malik, and members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Jemaah Islamiya on the island’s Indanan town, about 950 km from Manila.

“We have ordered troops to pursue the terrorists and the fugitive Malik. Our operation is now called Oplan Ultimatum 2,” said Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon.

Esperon flew to Jolo island on Thursday and met with his commanders before inspecting troops sent to pursue Malik’s group, accused of attacking a marine base in Panamao town on April 13.

“Malik remains the subject of our hot pursuit. It is very clear that he committed homicide. We now consider him as a fugitive,” he said.

Troops also seized 600 kilos of ammonium nitrate this week from a mini-bus in Panamao town near where security forces were pursuing Malik’s group.

The chemical is widely used in the manufacture of homemade explosives in the troubled southern Philippine region. The bus driver and passengers denied knowledge of the cargo and there were no arrest made.

It was the second time that troops seized such chemical. In Zamboanga City, soldiers manning a checkpoint also recovered 25 kilos of ammonium nitrate from a passenger bus during a security check.

There were no reports of frech casualties, but the military said it was targeting Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya hiding in the camp controlled by Khaid Ajibun, one of the most influential rebel leader allied with jailed MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari.

Misuari is facing rebellion charges after his forces attacked a major military base in Jolo island in 2000. The MNLF signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1996, but accused the Arroyo government of failing to honor the accord.

The military said three of its soldiers were killed and dozens more injured in the clashes. It also said the dozens of rebels were killed in the fighting, but the claims had been denied by the MNLF.

Some 8,000 soldiers are involved in the operation against about a thousand rebels and Abu Sayyaf members and a dozen Jemaah Islamiya militants, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who were both implicated in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Troops Shell MNLF Rebel Base In Jolo Island

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 25 Apr) – Government soldiers shelled Wednesday a mountain hideout of the Moro National Liberation Front rebels in the southern island of Jolo, as fighting entered its second third week.

Troops were battling the MNLF and members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Jemaah Islamiya on the island’s Indanan town, about 950 km from Manila.

Troops also seized 600 kilos of ammonium nitrate on Wednesday from a mini-bus in Panamao town near where security forces were also pursuing a separate faction of the MNLF.

The chemical is widely used in the manufacture of homemade explosives in the troubled southern Philippine region. The bus driver and passengers denied knowledge of the cargo and there were no arrest made.

It was the second time that troops seized such chemical. In Zamboanga City, soldiers manning a checkpoint also recovered 25 kilos of ammonium nitrate from a passenger bus during a security check.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the military said it was targeting Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya hiding in the camp controlled by Khaid Ajibun, one of the most influential rebel leader allied with jailed MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari.

Misuari is facing rebellion charges after his forces attacked a major military base in Jolo island in 2000. The MNLF signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1996, but accused the Arroyo government of failing to honor the accord.

Fighting erupted in Jolo island on April 13 after MNLF forces led by Ajibun’s lieutenant Ustadz Habier Malik attacked a military base and a town hall in Panamao town.

The military said three of its soldiers were killed and dozens more injured in the clashes. It also said the dozens of rebels were killed in the fighting, but the claims had been denied by the MNLF.

Some 8,000 soldiers are involved in the operation against about a thousand rebels and Abu Sayyaf members and a dozen Jemaah Islamiya militants, including Dulmatin and Umar Patek, who were both implicated in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people. (Mindanao Examiner)

MNLF Fighting Breaks Out In Jolo Island, 6 Soldiers Dead, Says Rebels

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 25 Feb) – At least one government soldier was seriously wounded in fierce clashes Sunday with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, officials said.

Rebel sources said at least six soldiers were killing in the fighting.

Officials said troops, pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants, clashed with rebels late Sunday afternoon in the hinterland village of Marang in Indanan town. Fighting was raging later in the night with soldiers trying to get out from an area where rebels, under Habier Malik and Khaid Ajibun, are actively operating.

There were no immediate reports of MNLF casualties. “One soldier is wounded in the fighting,” said Marine commander Maj. Gen. Mohammad Dolorfino, who was monitoring the situation in Jolo.

“There is a need to put up a coordinating committee between the MNLF and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to prevent hostilities. There is truce and we signed a peace agreement with the rebels, but sporadic clashes still occur. We have worked a long way to preserve peace in the South and we will pursue peaceful ways to resolve this problem,” Dolorfino told the Mindanao Examiner.

Hundreds of Muslim villagers have fled their homes, leaving farm animals behind, for fear the battle would escalate. The military on the island have sent more forces to reinforce the beleaguered soldiers.

Early this month, Malik and Ajibun held for 3 days a peace mission headed by Dolorfino and Defense Under Secretary Ramon Santos and demanded that Manila free their jailed leader Nur Misuari, who is facing rebellion charges, so he can attend a tripartite meeting arranged by the influential Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Saudi Arabia.

Dolorfino’s group was seized after reports of a scheduled tripartite meeting between the MNLF and the Philippines and the OIC on Feb. 6-8 in Jeddah had been shelved off by the Arroyo government. The OIC, which brokered the MNLF peace talks, organized the tripartite meeting to discuss the full implementation of the agreement.

The rebels signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1996. After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari, became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region. But despite the agreement, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.

Under the peace agreement, Manila would provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.

Many former guerrillas were disgruntled with the peace deal, saying, the Arroyo government failed to comply with some of its provisions and uplift their standards of living. They accused Manila of failing to develop the war-torn areas in the south.

And in November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the Muslim autonomous region, Misuari accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and launched a new rebellion in Jolo island and Zamboanga City, where more than 100 people were killed. Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, but had been arrested and deported to the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Jolo Hostage Crisis Adds Crack On Already Damaged GRP-MNLF Peace Deal

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 05 Feb) – A senior adviser of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo on Monday admitted relations between Manila and the Moro National Liberation (MNLF) had been damaged following 3 days of detention of senior military and defense officials by rebels in Jolo island.

A faction of MNLF rebels under Habier Malik and Khaid Ajibun held Friday Major General Mohamad Dolorfino, of the Philippine Marines; Colonels Davy Ramon and Cipriano Bayan (earlier identified as Sibayan), of the Philippine Army; Defense Under Secretary Ramon Santos and 21 soldiers and staff of Presidential peace adviser, Jesus Dureza.

The rebels, who signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1996, have previously accused the Arroyo government of failing to comply with the accord.

Dolorfino’s group was seized after reports of a scheduled tripartite meeting between the MNLF, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Philippines on Feb. 6-8 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia had been shelved off by the Arroyo government.

The hostages were freed on Sunday after Manila has agreed to proceed with the OIC-led conference next month. The OIC, which brokered the peace talks, organized the tripartite meeting to discuss the full implementation of the agreement.

The gunmen earlier demanded Manila to free detained rebel chieftain Nur Misuari, who is facing rebellion charges in Manila, so he can lead the MNLF to the tripartite conference.

“How can the tripartite meeting proceed without our leader, Nur Misuari? Our leader must be present during the meeting,” Malik said.

But it was unknown if Manila would allow Misuari to Saudi Arabia to lead the MNLF in the meeting. Government officials fear that Misuari may escape while in Saudi or never return and seek political asylum with Arab countries sympathetic to his cause of putting up a strict Islamic state in Mindanao.

MNLF secretary general Muslimin Sema, also mayor of Cotabato City, said the incident in Jolo was not sanctioned by the group’s central committee. “It was a unilateral decision on the part of Malik. We were not even informed about his plan,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
"This (hostage-taking) is a setback to their jobs in ensuring that what were agreed upon in the 1996 peace agreement were carried out accordingly," Dureza said in a televised news conference in Manila.

“Asked them if they are willing to go back. To be honest, do you think we will send them back tomorrow? Even if we want to, their parents loved ones, family members would not allow them to do that. The level of confidence has been eroded,” he said.

Dureza said the good relationship between the Philippine government and the MNLF was affected by the incident. He said the government would take precaution in dealing with the rebels in the future.

"It was realistically eroded, not shattered. It would take a lot of work to bring back (that trust and confidence between us and the MNLF) to where it was," he said.

Santos said he was willing to go back to the island and continue the government’s peace efforts with the rebels. “I am willing to return to Jolo, so we can continue what we have started,” he said.

"In fact, we will use the opportunity to upgrade our work in Sulu. We will not be deterred; this will not lessen our determination. In fact, we will use this as an impetus to work more, to do a better job," he said.

After the peace agreement was signed, Nur Misuari, chieftain of the MNLF, became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region. Despite the accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.

Under the peace agreement, Manila would provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.

Many former guerrillas were disgruntled with the peace deal, saying, the Arroyo government failed to comply with some of its provisions and uplift their standards of living.

They accused Manila of failing to develop the war-torn areas in the south.

And in November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the Muslim autonomous region, Misuari accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and launched a new rebellion in Jolo island and Zamboanga City, where more than 100 people were killed. Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, but had been arrested and deported to the Philippines.

The OIC also wanted Misuari freed from jail to head the MNLF delegation to Saudi Arabia for the tripartite meeting. Egyptian Sayed El-Masry, who is adviser to OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, visited Jolo island in May last year.

Masry said the Philippines and MNLF leaders must sit together and discuss the problems affecting the implementation of the peace accord. He said the tripartite meeting is important to finally settle the problems. (Mindanao Examiner)