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)

MILF Rebels To Hunt Down Jemaah Islamiya Terrorists In Mindanao!

A young MILF fighter aims his M4 automatic rifle during a routine combat training in southern Philippines. The MILF says it will help Filipino authorities hunt down members of the Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya, hiding in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / 28 May) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said it would help Filipino authorities hunt down members of the Jemaah Islamiya hiding in the restive southern region of Mindanao.

A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the MILF and the Philippine military are closely working for the arrest of Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and other JI militants, especially Dulmatin and Umar Patek.

Jakarta tagged both Dulmatin and Umar Patek at behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 mostly Western holidaymakers.

In March, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has authorized a new reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Zulkifli bin Hir, who was believed to be involved in multiple deadly bomb attacks in the Philippines.

Zulkifli bin Hir, who allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization, has been added to most-wanted list of the Rewards for Justice Program, administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

The U.S. State Department said Zulkifli bin Hir has been present in the Philippines since August 2003, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf.

His younger brother, Taufik bin Abdul Halim, Dany, was involved in the 2001 Jakarta Atrium Mall bombing, and currently is in detention in Indonesia. (With reports from Mark Navales and Juley Reyes)

Police Clashed With Gunmen In South RP

Policemen arrive in Sultan Kudarat town to reinforce cops who came under fire from gunmen. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Feb) – Police forces clashed with unidentified gunmen near strongholds of Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippine town of Sultan Kudarat near Cotabato City, officials said Tuesday.

The fighting late Monday was triggered by a grenade attack on the house of a decorated Cotabato City police commander, Senior Inspector Samson Obatay, in Salimbao village.

Gunmen, armed with automatic weapons, also attacked police reinforcement with small rockets, sparking a brief, but heavy exchange of fire.

There were no reports of injuries or casualties either of the grenade attack or clashes between police forces and gunmen, a local police desk officer Dato Gani said.

“They attacked the house of Senior Inspector Samson Obatay and police reinforcement. The police engaged the attackers until the gunmen fled. There were no police or civilian casualties. We still don’t know if there were enemy casualties,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Obatay is commander of an elite police unit responsible in the killings of many criminals and capture of suspected terrorists in Cotabato.

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion fell heavily on Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels.

The MILF denied it had a hand on the attack and said it could be family feud. “We have no involvement in the attack, but it could be family feud. Obatay, being a police officer, has a lot of enemies and he knows that,” a rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu told the Mindanao Examiner.

The MILF, the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, is currently negotiating peace with the Arroyo government. It signed a truce in 2001, but despite the cease-fire agreement, sporadic clashes still continue between rebels and soldiers with both sides accusing each other of violating the fragile accord. (With a report from Mark Navales)