Marines chief is new military commander for Western Mindanao

Major General Benjamin Dolorfino. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 16, 2009) – Philippine Marines chief Major General Benjamin Dolorfino has formally assumed Thursday as new commander of military forces in Western Mindanao.

Dolorfino replaced Lieutenant Nelson Allaga. He vowed to intensify the campaign against Moro and communist rebels and defeat terrorism in the southern Philippines.

It was also the same statement by previous commanders who served and go, but the problems on insurgency and terrorism were still unchanged.

Dolorfino, his aide and 21 other soldiers, including a defense undersecretary, were previously held hostage by Moro rebels in Sulu province after a failed meeting in February 2007.

Moro National Liberation Front rebels under Habier Malik and Khaid Ajibun held Dolorfino’s group for three days and freed them after a series of government negotiations.

The rebels demanded Manila to free detained MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, who is facing rebellion charges in Manila in exchange for the release of the hostages so he can lead the MNLF to the tripartite conference in Saudi Arabia. (Mindanao Examiner)

Six soldiers injured in Sayyaf Sulu ambush

Soldiers inspect the damaged military truck hit by an Abu Sayyaf landmine explosion Friday, April 03, 2009 in the southern Philippine province of Sulu. Six marines were wounded in the attack in the village of Danag in Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Nickee Butlangan)

Freed Filipino Red Cross hostage Mary Jean Lacaba in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 03, 2009) – At least six soldiers were injured in an Abu Sayyaf attack Friday in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, where militants are holding hostage two Red Cross workers.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of rescuing the captives, said the Abu Sayyaf detonated a landmine planted on a highway in the village of Danag in Patikul town as a truck transporting troops was passing.

“The soldiers are part of a security force guarding the highway to prevent the Abu Sayyaf from escaping a military cordon in Sulu,” Allaga told the Mindanao Examiner.

The attack came a day after the Abu Sayyaf freed Filipino Red Cross worker Mary Jean Lacaba in the jungle of Indanan town. Two other aid workers, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni remain in captivity in the group of Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad.

Allaga tagged an Abu Sayyaf faction headed by Radulan Sahiron as behind the latest attack. He said Sahiron’s group was trying to reinforce Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya (JI) militants holding the two hostages.

Military reports tagged JI militants Muawiyah, an Indian-Singaporean Muslim who also uses the alias Manobo; Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and probably Dulmatin and Umar Patek, both Javanese as among the Abu Sayyaf group holding the aid workers.

The fate of the two hostages remain unknown, but military and government officials negotiating with the Abu Sayyaf, said Notter and Vagni are alive.

Lacaba on Friday was fetched by Senator Richard Gordon, head of the Philippine National Red Cross, and brought to Manila where her anxious family and relatives were waiting.

The Red Cross workers were kidnapped January 15 in Patikul town where they inspected a humanitarian project. Lacaba was released late Thursday in Indanan town to Sulu Vice Governor Nur Anna Sahidulla, who is the government’s emissary to the Abu Sayyaf.
Sahidula said she was contacted by the Abu Sayyaf.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, head of the government task force working for the safe release of the aid workers, has declared a state of emergency in the province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Italy makes contact with Sayyaf hostage in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 02, 2009) – Three Red Cross workers kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf terrorists are all alive, according to the Italian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said they were able to talk to Italian Eugenio Vagni, one of the hostages. “They are alive according to information in our possession,” he said.

Vagni and Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba, who work for the International Committee of the Red Cross, were kidnapped January 15 after inspecting a humanitarian project at a prison in Patikul town.

Unconfirmed reports in Sulu on Wednesday said the Abu Sayyaf shot Notter in the head and killed or probably injured after he tried to escape from his captors. Journalists covering the hostage crisis in Sulu also received the same reports from this cell phone number +639277083148.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of rescuing the hostages, said the reports of Notter’s death could be part of the strategy of the Abu Sayyaf to divert the attention of the authorities.

Allaga said all the hostages are probably alive. “It’s difficult to believe every single report in Sulu at this time, but there are indications all the hostages are still alive,” he told the Mindanao Examiner. (Mindanao Examiner)

Swiss Red Cross hostage in the Philippines may have been shot, reports say

Andreas Notter

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists may have shot and killed or seriously injured one of three kidnapped Red Cross workers in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, reports said on Wednesday.

The reports surfaced after an Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad have repeatedly threatened to behead the hostages – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – if security forces do not withdraw from at least 5 towns in Sulu.

Unconfirmed reports in Sulu said Notter was shot in the head after he tried to escape from his captors who were set to behead him.

The Abu Sayyaf warned it would behead one hostage on Monday at 2 p.m. if the government fails to pull out security forces. But there were no reports whether the threat was carried out.

Police said it has no reports about Notter’s death or whether the Abu Sayyaf executed has executed or not any of the three captives. “We have no reports about it nor confirmation whether all the hostages are alive or not,” said a senior provincial police official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorize to speak to the media.

Previous police reports said the Abu Sayyaf could execute Vagni first because he is the oldest among the captives.

The trio was kidnapped on January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison in Patikul town. Police said a former jail guard, Raden Abu, led the group that kidnapped the aid workers and handed them over to the Abu Sayyaf days later. Abu was dismissed after 10 prisoners escaped from jail on January 13.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of the operation to safely free the aid workers, said they have reports that all the hostages are alive.

“We have reports that the hostages are all alive. Military forces have encircled the jungle of Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf is holed out. They are trapped, but they are also highly mobile,” Allaga said.

The provincial governor of Sulu, Sakur Tan, on Monday declared a state of emergency after the Abu Sayyaf ultimatum for a military pull out ended. Tan said military and police will arrest suspected Abu Sayyaf members and their supporters in a bid to crack down on terrorism in Sulu, one of six provinces that comprise the Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf trapped in Sulu jungle; no words from Red Cross hostages

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) – Security forces have cordoned off a huge area in the jungle of Sulu province, trapping Abu Sayyaf terrorists holding hostage three Red Cross workers.

An Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad have repeatedly threatened to behead the hostages – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – if security forces do not withdraw from at least 5 towns.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of the operation to safely free the aid workers, said they have reports that all the hostages are alive.

“We have reports that the hostages are all alive. Military forces have encircled the jungle of Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf is holed out. They are trapped, but they are also highly mobile,” Allaga told the Mindanao Examiner.

The kidnappers have been reported radioing for reinforcements from other Abu Sayyaf groups in Sulu and Basilan provinces, anticipating a possible show down with military forces should Manila orders a rescue operation.

Allaga said the deployment of troops around Indanan have prevented Abu Sayyaf forces from Patikul town in merging with Parad’s group.

The Abu Sayyaf warned it would behead one hostage on Monday at 2 p.m. if the government fails to pull out security forces.

The trio was kidnapped on January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison in Patikul town. Police said a former jail guard, Raden Abu, led the group that kidnapped the aid workers and handed them over to the Abu Sayyaf days later. Abu was dismissed after 10 prisoners escaped from jail on January 13.

The latest video released last week by the Abu Sayyaf showed the three hostages tied together and behind them about a dozen gunmen clad in what appeared to be new army uniform and their faces covered, except for Parad, who is also the group’s spokesman.

The video also showed Parad’s group now equipped with dozens of rifle grenades, M203 grenade launchers and machine guns. In previous videos, they were armed only with several grenade launchers and a few munitions.

It was not immediately known who were supplying weapons and provisions to the Abu Sayyaf.
Military and police intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.

Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.

Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.

The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive.

The provincial governor of Sulu, Sakur Tan, on Monday declared a state of emergency after the Abu Sayyaf ultimatum for a military pull out ended. Tan said military and police will arrest suspected Abu Sayyaf members and their supporters in a bid to crack down on terrorism in Sulu, one of six provinces that comprise the Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf threatens anew to behead Red Cross hostages in the Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 25, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists have threatened to beheaded anew one of their three Red Cross hostages if security forces do not pull out near their jungle stronghold in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, police said on Wednesday.

The Abu Sayyaf is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugene Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba in the hinterlands of Indanan town where soldiers, policemen and armed village guards have put up a cordon to prevent the terrorists from escaping with their hostages.

“We have intelligence reports that the Abu Sayyaf may kill Vagni if security forces are not pulled out in Indanan town. We are trying to verify these reports,” Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, the provincial police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the terrorists issued an ultimatum until end of this month for the government to pull out security forces.

The Abu Sayyaf last week also threatened to behead one hostage after two days of clashes that left three soldiers dead and 23 others wounded. One of its leaders, Albader Parad, was also wounded in the fighting and warned that they decapitate one hostage if clashes erupt again or if troops get near them.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces overseeing the operations in Sulu, said security forces will continue to maintain its presence in Indanan town and is closely working with Kasim and Sakur Tan, the provincial governor, who heads the government task force in-charge of securing the safe release of the hostages.

“We will maintain our presence in Indanan town,” he said, adding, any withdrawal of troops could pave the way for terrorists to escape and consolidate their forces.

Tan also rejected Abu Sayyaf demands for a military pull out. “That is tantamount to surrendering the whole town to terrorists. I will not allow that to happen,” he said.

Hundreds of villagers have armed themselves and were helping the police and military secure the town and prevent the terrorists from breaking out of the military cordon.

Military intelligence reports said among those holding the aid workers are members of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya.

Jemaah Islamiya militants led by Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir also known as Marwan, is believed to be among the Abu Sayyaf holding the hostages. Two more Jemaah Islamiya terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek are also said to be hiding in Sulu.

Zulkifli, who also heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines and has been added to most-wanted list of the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program.

The U.S. offered as much as $5-million bounty for the capture of Zulkifli and other known Abu Sayyaf leaders, while Dulmatin carries a $10-million reward on his head and $1-million for Patek. Manila also put aside P100-million bounties for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops to pull out from terrorist lair after Sayyaf threatens to behead one Red Cross hostage in the Philippines

A government soldier who is injured in clashes with Abu Sayyaf terrorists in the southern Philippine island of Sulu grimaces in pain as military nurses clean his wound on Thursday, March 19, 2009 in Zamboanga City. Western Mindanao military chief Marines Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga also pinned medals to the wpunded. Senator Richard Gordon says government troops would be pull out from the jungle of Indanan where the Abu Sayyaf is holding hostage three Red Cross workers - Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba who were kidnapped in Sulu on January 15. Terrorist leader Albader Parad threatened to behead one of the foreigners if troops attacked them in Indanan following two days of clashes early this week. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Jung Francisco)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 19, 2009) – Philippine military authorities agreed to reposition troops who surrounded the jungle lair of Abu Sayyaf terrorists who are holding hostage three aid workers in Sulu province.

The decision came after a terrorist leader Albader Parad threatened to behead one of the hostages after two days of fighting left three soldiers and an undetermined number of kidnappers dead and wounded in Indanan town.

The Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the spate of terrorism and kidnappings-for-ransom, is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Jean Lacaba who are working for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

They were snatched January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison facility in the town of Patikul.

Senator Richard Gordon, who is also the chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, said the military agreed to reposition troops away from where the terrorists and their hostages are holding out.

“The soldiers will be repositioned away from the Abu Sayyaf,” he said, adding, the Abu Sayyaf promised to free one of the captives soon after troops are pulled out from the area.

Parad, a former Moro National Liberation Front rebel, warned that he would decapitate one of the foreign hostages if troops get near them or if fighting erupts again. He was wounded on Monday’s fighting after troops shot him while trying to break through the military cordon which is also being guard by policemen and armed civilians.

Western Mindanao military chief, Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga: “The presence of the military in the area has to be maintained, but of course in the bigger picture, we still would allow any other peaceful efforts to bring the hostages back to safety.”

But Allaga said the military will not be cowed by Abu Sayyaf threats to kill one hostage.

“In a situation like this, it is like a battle of nerves and everybody seems to be panicking and everything. We are dealing here with a group of terrorists and we already saw their true colors in previous atrocities.”

“We should not allow ourselves to be subjected to the whims and caprices of the terrorists. We are dealing here with a terrorist group,” he told reporters in Zamboanga City after visiting soldiers wounded in clashes with the Abu Sayyaf at a military hospital.

The military said 19 soldiers were wounded in two days of fighting in Sulu. The bodies of three soldiers killed in the clashes were flown to Manila on Thursday. (With a report from Jung Francisco)

3 soldiers killed as troops battle Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 17, 2009) – At least three soldiers were killed and more than a dozen wounded as troops battled Tuesday Abu Sayyaf terrorists holding three Red Cross workers in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, officials said.

A still undetermined number of terrorists were believed killed and wounded in fierce fighting that began shortly before 6 a.m. in the hinterlands of Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf is holding Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Jean Lacaba.

The trio, all workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was kidnapped on January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison in Patikul town.

“Three of our soldiers are dead and 13 others were wounded in the fighting. We have reports that many Abu Sayyaf are killed and wounded in the clashes that began this morning at around 5.30 and the fighting is still going on,” Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said there were no words about the fate of the hostages. “We have no words about them. We are fighting the Abu Sayyaf terrorists who are trying to break through the military cordon,” Allaga said.

Allaga said soldiers and policemen and village guards have surrounded the lair of the Abu Sayyaf to prevent them from escaping with their captives.

Fighting also erupted in the village of Buton Mahablo in the town of Parang that left four more soldiers wounded, said Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional army spokeswoman. She said troops were on a combat mission when they clashed with Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

On Monday, troops clashed three times with Abu Sayyaf terrorists led by Albader Parad who was reported to have been shot and wounded or killed while trying to escape from the cordon around them.

The news of Parad’s death also triggered a massive search for his body by soldiers and armed civilians because of the huge rewards on his head.

The United States has offered as much as US$ 5 million for known Abu Sayyaf leaders under the Rewards for Justice System. Manila also set aside P100 million rewards for the capture of Abu Sayyaf terrorists and their leaders – dead or alive.

Philippine and US authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf to the spate of bombings in the southern Filipino region, including executions of civilians and kidnappings for ransom to raise fund and support its terror campaign.

The Abu Sayyaf has pillaged small towns, bombed passenger ships, commuter buses, Catholic churches and public places, including malls and department stores and killed hundreds of innocent people since the time it was founded in the early 1990s.

The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21 foreigners in a cross-border raid in Sabah, Malaysia in 2000 and ransomed off the hostages with the help of Filipino negotiators. It also beheaded one of three US citizens kidnapped in 2001 in the Philippines after failing to seek the release of Pakistani al-Qaeda bomber, Ramzi Yousef and radical Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, who inspired Yousef’s 1993 World Trade Center bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipino troops continue operations Vs. Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 11, 2009) – Filipino troops continue to surround a hinterland village in the southern island of Sulu where three Red Cross workers are being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists.

The hostages – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Jean Lacaba – were seized January 15 after inspecting water and sanitation projects at a prison in Patikul town. A dismissed jail guard, Raden Abu, kidnapped the trio and handed them over days later to the Abu Sayyaf headed by Albader Parad and Dr Abu Pula, whose real name is Umbra Jumdail.

Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, of the Jemaah Islamiya, is also believed to be with the Abu Sayyaf group and probably several more, according to Army Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, commander of the Armed Forces' Civil Relations Service. He said troops have sealed off the area where the terrorists are holding the hostages.

On Monday, troops clashed with the Abu Sayyaf wounding 11 eleven marines in a failed attempt to spring the aid workers. The fighting forced the terrorists to flee deeper into the jungle with their captives.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, said security forces continue operations in Indanan town. "Our operations are continuing and we will not cease until the hostages are released unharmed," he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The fighting on Monday had the International Committee of the Red Cross worried over the safety of the captives.

Alain Aeschlimann, the ICRC's head of operations for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific, has appealed anew to the kidnappers to free all three aid workers.

"The ICRC is renewing its appeal to the kidnappers and to all those involved in dealing with this crisis to refrain from any action which could jeopardize the safety of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas."

"This is a very delicate situation, which must be handled with caution in order to avoid compromising in any way the safety of our colleagues, and in order to secure their rapid and unconditional release," he said.

The Abu Sayyaf, listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, has reportedly demanded as much as $10-million ransoms in exchange for the freedom of the captives.
Philippine authorities said the Abu Sayyaf was behind the spate of bombings and kidnappings-for-ransom in the southern region. Most of the ransoms it gets are being used for the purchase weapons and to finance terrorism. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Military Chief Visits Wounded Soldiers In Mindanao

Philippine military chief General Alexander Yano speaks Tuesday, February 10, 2009 to one of 11 wounded soldiers in Zamboanga City. A doctor also examines a soldier who is in critical condition. The soldiers were part of a rescue group that assaulted the Abu Sayyaf in a failed attempt to spring three kidnapped Red Cross workers Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino woman Mary Lacaba in Sulu province. The trio was kidnapped on January 15, 2009 after inspecting humanitarian projects at a prison in Sulu's Patikul town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Jung Francisco)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 10, 2009) – Philippine military chief General Alexander Yano visited Tuesday soldiers who were wounded in a clash with Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu island where they are holding kidnapped three Red Cross workers.

Eleven marines were wounded in Monday fighting with terrorists in a failed attempt to spring Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba who were kidnapped January 15.

Yano, accompanied by Marine Generals Nelson Allaga and Natalio Ecarma, visited the wounded soldiers at a military hospital inside the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.

They also handed envelopes containing money and bags of groceries to the soldiers, but two of them are in critical condition. (Jung Francisco)

Hunt Continues Vs. Sayyaf Terrorists In Basilan Island

Philippine Navy Seals prepare their equipment as US troops relax Tuesday, December 9, 2008 inside the naval headquarters in Zamboanga City in Mindanao. Five Filipino marines were killed and two dozen more wounded in fierce clashes with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels over the weekend in Basilan island, south of Zamboanga City. Five marines and three rebels were killed in the fighting, the military says. US troops are deployed in the southern Philippines to help the local military defeat terrorism.

And an unidentified marine soldier shows his shrapnel wounds to Navy Commodore Alexander Pama, while Philippine Marines chief General Mohd Dolorfino and Western Mindanao military commander General Nelson Allaga look on at a hospital inside the military's Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City on Tuesday, December 9, 2008. While Marine Captain Jolie Palanca answers questions from journalists. Palanca is among 24 soldiers wounded in fierce clashes with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels over the weekend in Basilan island, south of Zamboanga City. Five marines and three rebels were killed in the fighting. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 9, 2008) – Military operations continued Tuesday in Basilan island against the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for the spate of attacks and kidnappings in the southern Philippines.

Soldiers were tracking down Abu Sayyaf militants in Al-Barka town, a known stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's largest Muslim rebel group.

Fierce fighting already broke out between troops and rebels that left five marines and three MILF mujahideen dead, including Sattar Alih, a senior member of the group's cease-fire monitoring team. Two dozen soldiers and six rebels were also wounded in the fighting over the weekend in Al-Barka town.

Three of the country's most senior military commanders on Tuesday inspected the wounded troops at a hospital in Zamboanga City and later went to Basilan island where they met with local commanders.

"Our operation is intended to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf and it will continue without let-up. Our goal is to flush out the terrorists and bring back peace in Basilan," said Marines chief General Mohammad Dolorfino.

Dolorfino, accompanied by Western Mindanao military commander General Nelson Allaga and Navy Commodore Alexander Pama, inspected troops in Basilan.

Allaga said the MILF was dragged into the fighting after rebels attacked government forces pursuing the Abu Sayyaf in Al-Barka town. "They attacked our soldiers and fighting erupted," he said.

He warned the MILF not to interfere with the military operations against the Abu Sayyaf.
Local military commander Brigadier Rustico de Leon has previously accused the MILF of coddling the Abu Sayyaf.

De Leon said the rebels were sheltering the militants inside MILF camps in Al-Barka. Rebels were also protecting the Abu Sayyaf in the towns of Tipo-Tipo and Ungkaya Pukan, an accusation the MILF strongly denied.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said the government forces were targeting the rebels in the guise of pursuing the Abu Sayyaf. He said the soldiers violated a fragile cease-fire signed by the MILF and the government in 2001 when President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks.

Peace talks collapsed in August after the failed signing of the territorial land deal that would have granted more than four million Muslims their own homeland in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

5 More MILF Rebels Killed In Mindanao Fighting

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18 MILF Rebels, 2 Soldiers Die In Mindanao Clashes

Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 1002nd Infantry Brigade, inspects Monday, August 25, weapons recovered by troops from Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels during fierce fighting in the hinterlands of Maasim town. The military said 40 MILF rebels are killed in the fighting in Sarangani since Saturday. Red Cross volunteers also distribute relief goods to refugees in Sarangani. (Sarangani Information Office Photo by Cocoy Sexcion / Text by the Midnanao Examiner )

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 25, 2008) – At least 16 Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and two soldiers were killed as clashes erupted anew in Lanao del Norte province in the southern Philippines, officials said Monday.

Officials said the weekend fighting broke out in Poona Piagapo and Matunggao towns after soldiers drove away dozens of MILF rebels who occupied four areas in the village of Nunungan.

The fighting erupted barely a week after security forces regained control of several towns in the province also occupied by rebel forces. But the clashes last week left over 100 civilians dead and wounded and displaced more than 160,000 people.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, said 16 rebels and two soldiers were killed in the fighting in Poona Piagapo. He said two soldiers were also wounded in the clashes. Allaga said troops seized several small bases of Macapaar in Poona Piagapo and Matunggao towns. Sporadic fighting was also reported in Maguindanao province.

Security forces were hunting down two notorious MILF commanders, Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar, who led a series of attacks in the provinces. Manila also demanded the MILF to peacefully surrender Kato and Macapaar, but rebel chieftain Murad Ebrahim said he would not yield the two commanders.

He said the MILF is a revolutionary organization and is not sanctioned by Philippine laws.

“We cannot subject our members to the laws of the government,” he said, adding, the MILF has started its own investigation into attacks.

The Arroyo government is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, which is fighting the past three decades for the establishment of a separate Muslim homeland in the troubled island of Mindanao.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman of the 6th Infantry Division, said more than 100 rebels also perished in clashes last week in the towns of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Piang and Kabuntalan towns, all in Maguindanao province. Ando said soldiers also recovered assorted munitions, mortar rockets and anti-tank weapons left behind by fleeing rebels.

On Saturday, at least 40 rebels were also killed in day-long fighting in the hinterlands of Sarangani province, Gov. Miguel Dominguez, quoting military reports, said. He said troops also occupied several MILF strongholds in the province. The MILF said the fighting in Sarangani killed at least 13 soldiers.

The MILF warned the fighting could lead to the collapse of the peace talks. It blamed hawkish factions in the Arroyo government and Christian politicians opposing the Muslim homeland deal to the skirmishes in Mindanao.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, said his group will not anymore negotiate any amendments to the ancestral domain deal, saying, peace negotiators have initialed the accord last month in Malaysia, which is brokering the talks.

Press Secy. Jesus Dureza said if the MILF wanted to continue the peace talks, it should surrender the Kato and Macapaar. “The inaction of the MILF leadership will be construed as its tacit approval of the criminal acts of its commanders and will be a clear proof of the MILF leadership’s insincerity to pursue the conclusion of the peace talks,” he said.

“We want to continue peace negotiations but not at the expense of our laws. There is no all-out war in Mindanao. This is waging all-out peace in Mindanao. We have gone a long way for peace but not at the expense of our innocent civilians who seek vindication for the violence inflicted on them by those lawless MILF groups. Our peace-loving citizens expect no less,” Dureza said.

The rebels launched attacks after the aborted signing of the ancestral domain deal between the MILF and Manila. The accord would have granted Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, but the deal also sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

The Supreme Court stopped the signing of the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain after some lawmakers and politicians filed separate petitions asking the government to bare the rest of the deal with the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Rebels Pull Out From Occupied Mindanao Villages

Philippine military chief General Alexander Yano speaks to reporters on Friday, August 8, 2008 in Zamboanga City. Yano says Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have begun pulling out from villages they illegally occupied in North Cotabato province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 8, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels have began pulling out from areas they illegally occupied in North Cotabato province in Mindanao, officials said Friday.

But sporadic fighting has been reported in Aleosan and Midsayap towns, although there were no reports of casualties. The clashes, which began before sunrise, lasted for several hours.

Philippine authorities on Thursday gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to remove its forces after weeks of sporadic clashes forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

“Most of the MILF elements have started to pull out since Thursday night and until today. We have the cease-fire committees on the grounds supervising the pullouts of rebels in the areas,” said Philippine military chief General Alexander Yano at a news conference in Zamboanga City.

Yano, accompanied by Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, the chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, also visited Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat.

Interior Secy. Ronaldo Puno said the rebels should vacate the towns or authorities would use force to drive them away.

North Cotabato Deputy Governor Emmanuel Pinol said rebels have been attacking government forces in the province and pillaged Christian villages. Rebels also torched dozens of houses.

Sporadic fighting were reported since last month in the towns of Aleosan, Midsayap, North Kabuntalan, Libungan and Pigkawayan, where rebels traded automatic and mortar fires with government militias and soldiers.

“We have to enforce the law to reclaim these areas that the rebels illegally occupied,” Yano said.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said about 800 rebels occupied at least 9 villages in the five towns the past weeks. “We are talking about 800 fully armed rebels here and they have begun pulling out from these areas,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said rebels were slowly withdrawing and that security forces are monitoring the pull out of MILF forces. “There is progress. The rebels are withdrawing slowly,” he said.

Ando said the rebels are retreating in small groups and would probably continue until night time.

The MILF said members of the cease-fire committees and international truce observers are in Aleosan town to monitor the situation in North Cotabato.

“The cease-fire committees and members of the International Monitoring Team are now in the areas monitoring the situation. We need measures that will sustain the peace efforts on the ground,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

The military said the rebel attacks in the province were connected to the opposition of North Cotabato to its inclusion in the Muslim ancestral domain signed by Manila with the MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with the government.

Kabalu denied rebels illegally occupied the villages and said government militias had attacked them and that fighting in other areas was connected to land conflict and clan wars.

Many villagers have already armed themselves with machetes and old guns to defend themselves from rebel attacks.

The MILF is the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate Islamic state in the troubled South. (Mindanao Examiner)

2 Military Informants Get Rewards For Capture Of NPA Leaders In South RP

Western Mindanao Command chief Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, assisted by Army Brig. Gen. Ricardo Garcia, rewarded P1.3 million to one of two masked informants on Saturday, February 02, 2008 in Zamboanga City for helping capture two senior leaders of the communist rebel group National People's Army in southern Philippines. The Philippine military vowed to crush communist insurgency in the country where security forces are also fighting Muslim secessionist rebels in Mindanao, south of Manila. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 02, 2008) - The Philippine military rewarded over one million pesos to two civilians who helped capture two senior communist rebel leaders in Mindanao island, officials said.

“These two civilians are heroes. They helped us capture two terrorist leaders,” Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of the Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Allaga handed the rewards to the two masked informants inside the military base and said the government’s Rewards for Justice Program is a big boost to ongoing anti-insurgency campaign in the southern Philippines.

“We really need the help of every body in this campaign. We need the help of the people in winning this war against terrorism and bring peace to the land,” he said.

Allaga handed a total of P1.3 million to the two men, both wearing a ski mask and sunglasses to hide their identities. Then men did not say any word or speak to reporters and were immediately whisked by soldiers out of the conference room where the ceremony took place.

Allaga said the two informants helped in the capture of Saturnino Roda alias Ka Dory, of the New People’s Army, in the town of Guipos in Zamboanga del Sur on August last year.

The other rebel leader, Joe Paculba, also known by his nom de guerre Ka Joel, was arrested a month later after Roda’s fall in Calamba town in Misamis Occidental.

“The arrest was pursued through the cooperation of the civilian informants who provided the Armed Forces of the Philippines sensitive and vital information about the two communist terrorist leaders,” Allaga said.

Allaga said there is an ongoing operation against the NPA and other terror groups, such as the Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya and its local affiliate, the Abu Sayyaf.

Maj. Eugene Batara, a regional military spokesman, said the two rebel leaders are now in jail and facing criminal charges in connection with attacks on government and military targets in Mindanao.

Last month, Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon vowed to crush NPA fronts in the country and neutralize the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya.

The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front, which broke of peace talks with government in 2004 after the United States in Manila’s prodding added them to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Rebel leaders said they would only resume peace negotiations if Washington removes them from the terror tag. (Ely Dumaboc and Arthur Abasolo)