Fighting Erupts In North Cotabato, Troops Foil Bombing Anew

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 15, 2008) – Government troops disarmed a homemade bomb planted near a school in the southern Philippine province of North Cotabato, where fresh fighting between security and rebel forces erupted on Friday, officials said.

There were no reports of casualties from both sides, but officials said the clashes broke out in Midsayap and Pigkawayan towns, where troops are deployed to oversee the safe return of civilians who were displaced by fighting earlier this week.

“Apparently the rebels are just around, but troops are still in the province to ensure the safety of civilians,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army's 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner. Rebels reportedly attacked patrolling troops and a military post in the towns, sparking sporadic clashes.

The MILF said the renewed fighting was triggered by government attacks on rebel forces in the towns. It said militias also burned houses owned by Muslim villagers in the area. “MILF forces are just defending themselves from further attacks,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.

Kabalu also denied reports that the MILF was behind attempts to bomb civilian targets in North Cotabato. “We have nothing to do with all these bombs. Thousands of soldiers and policemen are all over North Cotabato, but surprisingly explosives are discovered almost everyday. This is hate campaign aimed at the MILF,” he said without further elaborating.

Authorities are in high alert in North Cotabato after civilians on Friday discovered a bomb in Mlang town, a day after policemen arrested a would-be-attacker and believed to be a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at the town’s market after a homemade bomb he was carrying in a bag exploded prematurely.

On Thursday, soldiers also defused a powerful bomb at a bus depot in North Cotabato’s Kidapawan City. The province had been attacked in the past by Muslim rebels and members of the Indonesian terror group called Jemaah Islamiya and the local militant groups Abu Sayyaf and the Al-Khobar.

Troops on Wednesday regained control of 15 villages in North Cotabato province after a weeklong battle with MILF forces that left more than two dozen rebels and soldiers dead and wounded and over 160,000 people fleeing their homes.

Some 800 rebels occupied the villages after clashing with government militias over a land dispute and the fighting eventually spread to other areas. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Villagers Flee Towns Attacked By MILF Rebels In Mindanao

Sporadic fighting between government soldiers and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes in North Cotabato province in the southern Philippines. Authorities said rebel forces attacked civilian areas and torched dozens of houses since clashes erupted last month. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

Military Foils Bomb Attack In Southern Philippines

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Southern Philippine Bombing Kills Two

A father whispers to his wounded son at the Cotabato Regional Medical Center as doctors attend to his wife and daughter who are also injured in a bomb attack May 08, 2008 in Midsayap town in North Cotabato province. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales).

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 8, 2008) – A bomb explosion Thursday ripped through a commuter van in the southern Philippines, killing several people and wounding at least 8 others, officials said.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, said the blast occurred at around 3 p.m. in the town of Midsayap in North Cotabato province. “We are getting conflicting reports, military in the area say only two people are were killed in the explosion,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ando said the van was loading passengers bound for Davao City when the explosion occurred. “We still don’t know what type of explosive was used in the attack,” he said.

But other reports in province said as many as three people were killed and some of the wounded are in critical condition in hospitals. Some of those wounded were brought to hospitals in Cotabato City.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack, but Ando said criminal gangs extorting from provincial bus firms and traders were behind previous attacks.

“We still do not know who were behind this explosion, but extortionists had been blamed in past attacks in the province,” Ando said.

He said police and soldiers have put up road blocks and were inspecting vehicles for weapons or explosives. “We have already intensified check point operation in the area,” Ando said.

Military and police authorities previously blamed the Al-Khobar and the Pentagon gangs and the Abu Sayyaf and communist insurgents in previous bombings in North Cotabato.

Last month, a homemade bomb exploded at a bus depot in Midsayap. Although there were no casualties, the blast April 26 however, damaged a commuter bus. The explosive, assembled from a mortar round, was left near the bus, owned by Weena Transit.

Three people were also killed and 15 others injured in a bomb explosion at a bus depot in Cotabato City. (With reports from Mark Navales)

Photo: Balikatan 2008 In Southern Philippines - Veterinary Care

SHOULDERING THE LOAD TOGETHER. Fireman 1st Class Jalicando Mamolo, of the Philippine Navy, administers oral vitamins to a cow while Capt. Kevin Hinson, a U.S. Army veterinarian assigned to the Japan District Veterinary Command, assists during a free veterinary clinic held February 26, 2008 in Nabalawag village in Midsayap town in North Cotabato province in Mindanao as part of the humanitarian assistance programs of Balikatan 2008. True to the meaning of the word Balikatan, Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military veterinary providers are shouldering the load together to help the greatest possible number of people in need. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Scott Taylor released by the US Embassy to the Mindanao Examiner)

Southern RP Town Signs MOA With US Agency

Mayor Manuel Rabara, of Midsayap town in North Cotabato province and ASCEND-Mindanao Program Director Joe Agarano, Dr. Thomas Krall of USAID-Office of Education, sign the Memorandum of Agreement for the Midsayap-Municipal Education and Skills Plan (MESP) together with various partners and stakeholders.

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 20, 2007) – Local municipal leaders signed an agreement with the US-led Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) as they celebrated the success of the program in North Cotabato province in southern Philippines.

The agreement ensures the sustainability of community support to basic education, alternative learning, and skills livelihood training projects of EQuALLS and Save the Children-Assistance for the Comprehensive Educational Development of Mindanao (ASCEND-Mindanao) in Midsayap town.

Just recently, some 250 children, youth, teachers, community members and village and governmental officials, including business leaders gathered in Midsayap to celebrate the successes of three years EQuALLS project implemented by ASCEND-Mindanao.

Highlight of the event was the signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) by the local government of Midsayap, the Department of Education (DepED), and EQuALLS/ASCEND.

Bomb Explodes In Southern Philippines

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 22 Apr) – A bomb explosion injured one person Sunday in the restive region of the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling militants whose groups are tied to al-Qaeda terror network.

The bombing came days after the United States and Australia warned of terror attacks in the southern Philippines.

Police and military said the bomb, assembled from a mortar rocket rigged to a timer, exploded in the town of Midsayap in the troubled North Cotabato province. One woman was injured in the blast.

Two people were held by the police over the latest attack.

Both the United States and Australia have told their citizens not to travel to the southern Philippines because of heightened terror activities.

On Thursday, Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded six construction workers and a fisherman they kidnapped in Parang town in Jolo island.

The beheading came just four days after Jolo governor Benjamin Loong rejected the Abu Sayyaf demand of five million pesos ransom in exchange for the lives of the hostages, six of them were workers of the politician in his construction firm.

Families of the victims have blamed Loong for the death, saying, he should have opened negotiations with the kidnappers for the safe release of the hostages.

Loong insisted the government has a strict no-ransom policy and said he would pay for the funeral of all seven men.

Last month, Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels clashed with security forces in Midsayap town and forced tens of thousands of people fleeing their homes. The MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, accused the military of breaking a fragile six-year old cease-fire agreement.

MILF leaders said troops attacked rebel forces in the guise of pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya near their strongholds. (Mark Navales)

MILF Umatake Sa Mindanao!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Military Ops vs Rebels Put Lives Of Civilians In Danger, Says Moro Group

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Mar) – The Suara Bangsamoro party list group on Wednesday condemned military operation against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the southern Philippines, saying, Muslim villagers have been affected by the skirmishes.

Abubakar Uy, the group’s secretary general in southern Mindanao, said the military offensive have put the lives of villagers in grave danger. "The brutal military operations have forced hundreds of Moro families to evacuate from their homes and farmlands,” Uy told the Mindanao Examiner.

The MILF said hundreds of villagers have fled their homes in Midsayap town in North Cotabato province after fighting broke out between military and rebel forces late Monday.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division said at least 26 rebels had been killed in the fighting, but only 17 bodies were recovered. One soldier was also slain and two others wounded in the clashes.

“At least 26 rebels are killed in the fighting, but there could be more casualties. The rebels retreated and took their dead, but we have recovered 17 of the corpses,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Julieto Ando said in a separate interview.

Zaynab Ampatuan, the party list’s 1st nominee, blamed the military for the sufferings of many Muslim villagers in North Cotabato.

The military denied the allegations and put the blame to MILF, which it said has been attacking government soldiers in the area.

“But time and again, military troops have been violating this truce as relentless militarization have been happening in North Cotabato resulting to human rights violations against the civilian, mostly Moro populace,” Ampatuan said.

Eid Kabalu, the MILF spokesman, said the fighting had stopped, but tension is still running high because of the presence of government troops in the two villages.

Kabalu said 19 rebels and 52 soldiers were killed in the fighting, but Ando disputed the figure of military casualties. “That’s MILF propaganda,” Ando said, adding, only 1 soldier was slain and four more injured in the fighting.

“Rebel forces killed at least 52 government soldiers and it is up to the military whether to admit it or not,” Kabalu said.

Both rebels and military commanders accused each other of violating a fragile six-year old truce.
President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks in 2001 with the MILF, which is fighting for self-rule in Mindanao. However, despite the cease-fire agreement, sporadic clashes still continue between troops and rebels.

Malaysia is brokering peace talks between the Philippine government and the MILF, but negotiations ended last year in Kuala Lumpur with both sides failing to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue -- ancestral domain.

Ancestral domain refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland. It is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement.

The ancestral domain covers the whole of Muslim autonomous region and other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And even Palawan Island in central Philippines.

Government peace negotiators previously offered the MILF the Muslim autonomous region, which is composed of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi which are among the poorest in the country torn by strife and clan wars since its creation in 1989. The MILF rejected the offer, saying, it would not settle for anything less than total Muslim control over those areas. (Mindanao Examiner)

Duruang AFP-MILF Natigil Na!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

RP Military Accused MILF Rebels Of Murdering Soldier, 2 Others In Mindanao

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner /02 Feb) – The Philippine military accused Friday the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), of murdering three people, including a soldier kidnapped in the southern Philippines.

The three had been killed in separately near Midsayap town in North Cotabato province, where rebels are actively operating, said Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“We have filed criminal complaints to the courts about these murders perpetrated by MILF rebels. The murders were also a violation of the cease-fire agreement and we also filed a protest to the government panel negotiating peace with the MILF,” Ando told the Midnanao Examiner.

The MILF is currently negotiating peace with the Arroyo government, but despite a truce signed in 2001, sporadic clashes still continue in many areas in the troubled region.

Ando said guerrillas seized an army sergeant, Isidro Elas and his unidentified companion on Wednesday while returning home on a motorcycle from. He said the bodies of the two had been recovered by soldiers and brought Friday to the army base.

He said rebels also kidnapped a Muslim farmer, Ontong Abdullah, last week in Midsayap town and had been shot dead. “His body was thrown in the river. Abdullah was a civilian; he was a farmer and killed by rebels on suspicion that Abdullah was a military spy,” Ando said.

Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, said his group was investigating whether rebels were behind the killing of the soldier and his companion. “We are investigating the report, whether MILF rebels were involved in the soldier’s killing. We can’t say anything at this time,” he said in a separate interview.

But Kabalu admitted that Abdullah, who was seized by rebels to stand trial for an alleged crime, was accidentally killed after he tried to grab the M16 automatic rifle of one of his captor. An MILF guard, who saw the commotion, hit Abdulah on the head with a rifle and the man never regained consciousness, he said.

Kabalu did not say what crime Abdullah committed. But the MILF is known to arrest criminals and put them on trial in their own so-called rebel court, and the group had publicly executed several prisoners who were founded guilty, in the past. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Fighting Erupts In South RP

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 27 Jan) – Government planes, backed by combat helicopters and ground forces, assaulted Saturday lairs of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels suspected of attacking farmers and army-led militias in the southern Philippines.

Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, said one rebel was killed and another wounded in the attacks which started on Friday on a village in Midsayap town in North Cotabato province.

“The bombings killed one rebel and wounded another fighter. This is blatant violation of the cease-fire. We are protesting the military attacks,” Iqbal told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the fighting erupted after armed militias and Christian landowners tried to drive away local Muslim villagers, some of them members of the MILF. He said the soldiers sided with the militias and attacked rebel forces, sparking sporadic, but fierce clashes.

Iqbal said the MILF rebels in the area were in heightened alert. “They were ordered to be in alert and defend themselves from these military attacks,” he said.

Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, denied the accusations and said the rebels attacked farmers and militias, triggering a firefight that killed one person and wounded one more.

“It was the rebels who started this fight. They attacked people who were just harvesting coconuts. The MILF violated the truce and we will file a protest with the government peace panel,” Ando said in a separate interview.

He said thousands of civilians have fled their homes in two villages for fear that they would be caught in the cross-fire or held hostage by rebels. “Many people have fled their homes and we are trying to protect the villages from the trebles,” he said.

Iqbal said at least 5 villages have been bombed by military forces. The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, is currently negotiating peace with Manila, but despite a cease-fire accord signed in 2001, sporadic clashes still continue in many areas in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)