He said an 81mm mortar bomb was believed used in the attack. It was the second bomb explosion since last week after an improvised explosive also went off at a bus depot in Maguindanao’s Cotabato City on Thursday night, although no casualties had been reported.
The latest bombing came a day after police and military tightened security in the southern Philippines following the killing in Sulu province of an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Gafur Jumdail and two other militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists.
Jumdail, brother of a key militant leader, Umbra Abu Jumdail alias Dr Abu, was fatally shot by police commandos. Hao said troops were told to stay alert for possible retaliatory attacks by the Abu Sayyaf in civilian areas in Mindanao.
It was unknown whether the Abu Sayyaf, which means “bearer of the sword,” has anything to do with the attack. The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed by authorities to the spate of terrorism in the volatile region, where security forces are battling Muslim and communist insurgencies the past four decades. (Mindanao Examiner)
Showing posts with label Sultan Kudarat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sultan Kudarat. Show all posts
Monday, September 06, 2010
Bomb explodes in Southern Philippine town
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 6, 2010) – An improvised bomb exploded early Monday at a market in the restive province of Maguindanao in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said there were no reported casualties in the attack which occurred at around 3:45 a.m. in the village of Bulalo in Sultan Kudarat town. “We are investigating this explosion and the motive of the attack,” said Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Hao, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Floods submerged Maguindanao villages
Days of heavy rains since Sunday, July 26, 2009 have flooded many villages in Maguindanao province in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 27, 2009) – Heavy rains the past days have flooded many areas in the Muslim province of Maguindanao in the southern Philippines.
Thousands of families have been affected by flash floods in Maguindanao, one of the poorest provinces in the country; and also in Cotabato City.
Roads in Sultan Kudarat were impassable and many residents were spotted on roof of their houses. Others evacuated to safer areas.
Thousands of families have been affected by flash floods in Maguindanao, one of the poorest provinces in the country; and also in Cotabato City.
Roads in Sultan Kudarat were impassable and many residents were spotted on roof of their houses. Others evacuated to safer areas.
Villagers complained of lack of food and have appealed for government food aid. (With a report from Mark Navales)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Rebels open fire on Philippine military chopper
Philippine Air Force MG520 helicopter. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 20, 2009) – Communist rebels opened fire on a Philippine Air Force chopper transporting combat supplies to troops in Mindanao, officials said on Monday.
Officials said New People’s Army rebels sniped the MG520 chopper on Sunday as it was delivering supplies to soldiers in the village of Sinapulan in Sultan Kudarat’s Colombio town, where security forces earlier overrun an enemy encampment.
“NPA snipers targeted the chopper, but luckily it was not hit and the MG520 returned fire and we still don’t know if there were enemies killed in the counterattack,” said Captain Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel, a spokeswoman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.
She said troops on Tuesday were pursuing the rebels in the town after capturing the NPA encampment. She said government soldiers recovered high-powered firearms and improvised explosives left by retreating rebels.
One soldier, Private First Class Rolan Salibio, was wounded during the raid on the rebel camp, Manuel said.
Fighting between military and rebel forces still continue despite a recent pronouncement by government and communist leaders about the resumption of the collapsed peace talks next month.
Peace talks collapsed in 2004 after rebel leaders accused Manila of reneging on an agreement that would free all political prisoners and stop extrajudicial killings of political activists in the country, among others.
The NPA is fighting for the past four decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Troops accused of killing Muslim girl in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 14, 2009) – Philippine soldiers killed a Muslim girl and injured two others during a raid on a suspected terrorist hideout in Maguindanao province in Mindanao, human rights advocates said.
The Liga ng Kabataang Moro said troops opened fire on a house in Sultan Kudarat town and killing the eleven-year girl. Two other house occupants were wounded in the weekend assault.
“The (military) operation did not follow standard search operation procedure, military entered the house without even knocking the door and began firing that led to death of a young girl and wounded others. We condemned this on the highest term,” said Michael Dumamba, the group’s secretariat.
The SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child-focused organizations in the Philippines, also condemned the killing and called on the Commission on Human Rights and Congress to investigate the girl’s death.
It said the soldiers were members of the Task Force Tugis of Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
“The raid conducted by Task Force Tugis showed incompetence and is obviously inconsistent with proper rules of engagement. Such act is utterly condemnable as it is a clear violation of the child’s basic right to life,” said Sophia Garduce, a spokeswoman for the SALINLAHI.
Militant groups and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also blamed the military for many human rights violations in Mindanao.
Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said the girl was killed in a shootout between soldiers and gunmen and that authorities were investigating the incident.
“There is an investigation and we cannot say who killed the girl unless the probe in completed by the police,” Ponce said.
He said three suspected bombers were arrested during the raid and troops recovered an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar. Ponce did not say whether the trio was members of the MILF or other rebel groups.
Ponce has put the blame of every single bombing in Mindanao to the MILF, which is fighting for self-determination in the volatile, but mineral-rich region. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Liga ng Kabataang Moro said troops opened fire on a house in Sultan Kudarat town and killing the eleven-year girl. Two other house occupants were wounded in the weekend assault.
“The (military) operation did not follow standard search operation procedure, military entered the house without even knocking the door and began firing that led to death of a young girl and wounded others. We condemned this on the highest term,” said Michael Dumamba, the group’s secretariat.
The SALINLAHI Alliance for Children's Concerns, an umbrella organization of child-focused organizations in the Philippines, also condemned the killing and called on the Commission on Human Rights and Congress to investigate the girl’s death.
It said the soldiers were members of the Task Force Tugis of Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
“The raid conducted by Task Force Tugis showed incompetence and is obviously inconsistent with proper rules of engagement. Such act is utterly condemnable as it is a clear violation of the child’s basic right to life,” said Sophia Garduce, a spokeswoman for the SALINLAHI.
Militant groups and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front also blamed the military for many human rights violations in Mindanao.
Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said the girl was killed in a shootout between soldiers and gunmen and that authorities were investigating the incident.
“There is an investigation and we cannot say who killed the girl unless the probe in completed by the police,” Ponce said.
He said three suspected bombers were arrested during the raid and troops recovered an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar. Ponce did not say whether the trio was members of the MILF or other rebel groups.
Ponce has put the blame of every single bombing in Mindanao to the MILF, which is fighting for self-determination in the volatile, but mineral-rich region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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)
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)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Philippine Army blames MILF rebels for spate of bomb attacks in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 31, 2009) – The Philippine Army on Sunday has blamed the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind the spate of terrorism in the restive region of Mindanao.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said the MILF, whose peace talks with Manila collapsed last year, have been targeting civilians in central Mindanao.
Ponce said the rebels detonated an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar bomb late Saturday in front of cockpit arena in the village of Salman in Lebak town in Sultank Kudarat province.
He said although there were no reports of casualties, the attack proved the MILF is targeting civilians to sow terror.
“The signature of the improvised explosive device and how it was made is patterned to the handiwork of the special operations groups of the MILF. These groups are desperate that even civilian are not spared,” Ponce told the Mindanao Examiner.
The MILF has denied it was behind the attack.
On Friday, a bomb also destroyed a parked truck in Cotabato City, but there were no casualties. It was unknown if the MILF was behind the blast.
Peace negotiations collapsed in August after Manila reneged on a deal that would grant a separate homeland to some four million Muslims in Mindanao. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said the MILF, whose peace talks with Manila collapsed last year, have been targeting civilians in central Mindanao.
Ponce said the rebels detonated an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar bomb late Saturday in front of cockpit arena in the village of Salman in Lebak town in Sultank Kudarat province.
He said although there were no reports of casualties, the attack proved the MILF is targeting civilians to sow terror.
“The signature of the improvised explosive device and how it was made is patterned to the handiwork of the special operations groups of the MILF. These groups are desperate that even civilian are not spared,” Ponce told the Mindanao Examiner.
The MILF has denied it was behind the attack.
On Friday, a bomb also destroyed a parked truck in Cotabato City, but there were no casualties. It was unknown if the MILF was behind the blast.
Peace negotiations collapsed in August after Manila reneged on a deal that would grant a separate homeland to some four million Muslims in Mindanao. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Troops pursue MILF raiders in Southern Philippines
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 16, 2009) – Government forces on Saturday pursued dozens of Moro rebels who pillaged a small Christian community in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said some 50 fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front raided Friday the village of Basak in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province, burning houses and carting farm animals.
There were no reports of civilian casualties, but the rebels took 20 civilians and used them as shield against village guards and freed them at dawn Saturday, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman.
“There is a military operation. Troops are pursuing the rebels responsible for the raid,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The MILF did not give any statement about the raid, but the military said those who pillaged the village were under the 104th Base Command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.
Fighting between rebels and military forces continue in Maguindanao province near Sultan Kudarat. Peace talks between the rebels and the government collapsed last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal.
The MILF has been fighting the government the past decades for the establishment of a separate state for more than four million Muslims in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said some 50 fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front raided Friday the village of Basak in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province, burning houses and carting farm animals.
There were no reports of civilian casualties, but the rebels took 20 civilians and used them as shield against village guards and freed them at dawn Saturday, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman.
“There is a military operation. Troops are pursuing the rebels responsible for the raid,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The MILF did not give any statement about the raid, but the military said those who pillaged the village were under the 104th Base Command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.
Fighting between rebels and military forces continue in Maguindanao province near Sultan Kudarat. Peace talks between the rebels and the government collapsed last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal.
The MILF has been fighting the government the past decades for the establishment of a separate state for more than four million Muslims in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fire razed 4 houses in Sultan Kudarat Province
KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 11, 2009) – A fire razed at least four houses Monday in the southern Philippine province of Sultan Kudarat, police said.
Police said the fire began at around 9 a.m. in the village of Pumulok in Colombio town, but there were no reports of casualties.
It was unknown whether the blaze was deliberate or not. Police said the Bureau of Fire Protection is investigating the fire and if there was arson. (Giovani Solmerano)
Police said the fire began at around 9 a.m. in the village of Pumulok in Colombio town, but there were no reports of casualties.
It was unknown whether the blaze was deliberate or not. Police said the Bureau of Fire Protection is investigating the fire and if there was arson. (Giovani Solmerano)
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Trader kidnapped in southern Philippines
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 7, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen barged into a warehouse and abducted a Filipino-Chinese trader on Thursday in the southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, the military said.
The military said four gunmen seized Christopher Yap, 28, in the village of Limbo in the town of Sultan Kudarat at around 10 a.m.
Gunmen dragged Yap into a waiting car parked outside his place. Yap’s family is into agricultural business, the military said.
No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but previous kidnappings had been blamed by the police and military to the Al-Khobar gang and rogue members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic lslamic Liberation Front.
Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)
The military said four gunmen seized Christopher Yap, 28, in the village of Limbo in the town of Sultan Kudarat at around 10 a.m.
Gunmen dragged Yap into a waiting car parked outside his place. Yap’s family is into agricultural business, the military said.
No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but previous kidnappings had been blamed by the police and military to the Al-Khobar gang and rogue members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic lslamic Liberation Front.
Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
1 killed, 3 injured in Mindanao bombing
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 26, 2009) – One person was killed and three more injured in a bomb attack Sunday in Sultan Kudarat province in the troubled region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials blamed the bombing in Lebak town to the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which is fighting for independence in Mindanao.
“One civilian was killed and two others are wounded in the MILF bombing,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
There was no immediate statement from the MILF, but the bombing coincided with the weeklong fighting between security and rebel forces in Maguindanao province where army soldiers killed at least 9 MILF members.
More than a dozen rebel camps and caches of weapons were also captured by troops, Ponce said.
The MILF has previously denied allegations linking them to the spate of bombings targeting civilians in the southern Philippines. “Who else would do such an act of terrorism,? These bombings were perpetrated by the MILF’s SOG under Basit Usman,” Ponce said, referring to the rebel’s special operations group headed by Abdul Basit Usman.
Usman, who was linked by the Philippine military to the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiya, is also wanted by the United States for terrorism. And Washington has offered as much as $50,000 reward for his capture.
Peace talks between Manila and the MILF collapsed last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal that the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials blamed the bombing in Lebak town to the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which is fighting for independence in Mindanao.
“One civilian was killed and two others are wounded in the MILF bombing,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
There was no immediate statement from the MILF, but the bombing coincided with the weeklong fighting between security and rebel forces in Maguindanao province where army soldiers killed at least 9 MILF members.
More than a dozen rebel camps and caches of weapons were also captured by troops, Ponce said.
The MILF has previously denied allegations linking them to the spate of bombings targeting civilians in the southern Philippines. “Who else would do such an act of terrorism,? These bombings were perpetrated by the MILF’s SOG under Basit Usman,” Ponce said, referring to the rebel’s special operations group headed by Abdul Basit Usman.
Usman, who was linked by the Philippine military to the Indonesian militant group Jemaah Islamiya, is also wanted by the United States for terrorism. And Washington has offered as much as $50,000 reward for his capture.
Peace talks between Manila and the MILF collapsed last year after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal that the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
2 wounded in new bombing in southern Philippines
MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 22, 2009) – Two civilians were wounded after an improvised bomb exploded near a market in the southern Philippines and security officials linked the attack to the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Security officials said there were no casualties in the blast late Tuesday in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province. “A man carrying a back pack left a package in the area and minutes later it exploded,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the MILF was behind the attack, although authorities are still investigating the motive of the bombing.
Ponce said the MILF’s special unit headed by Usman Basit, who is wanted by the United States for terrorism, was behind the attack. Basit was previously linked by the military to Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiya terror group.
Washington also offered up to $50,000 bounty for Basit’s capture.
Ponce said just last week, government troops recovered a cache of weapons left behind by rebels in Maguindanao province. He said the rebels have launched a series of attacks in recent weeks in Mindanao.
The MILF, which is fighting for independence in the restive region, denied any involvement in the latest bombing. “Not us, we have no involvement in the attack. We are pro-people, we are for peace,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.
Kabalu tied the blast to political feud. “The bombing could be the result of a political feud,” he said without further elaborating.
On Monday, two powerful explosions damaged the Agus Bridge in Lanao del Norte’s Iligan City. The bridge connects several provinces in Mindanao. The military also tagged the MILF as behind the attack.
Manila opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but the negotiations collapsed last year after government negotiators reneged on a deal that would grant some four million Muslims a separate homeland across more than 700 villages in Mindanao. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)
Security officials said there were no casualties in the blast late Tuesday in the town of Lebak in Sultan Kudarat province. “A man carrying a back pack left a package in the area and minutes later it exploded,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the MILF was behind the attack, although authorities are still investigating the motive of the bombing.
Ponce said the MILF’s special unit headed by Usman Basit, who is wanted by the United States for terrorism, was behind the attack. Basit was previously linked by the military to Indonesia’s Jemaah Islamiya terror group.
Washington also offered up to $50,000 bounty for Basit’s capture.
Ponce said just last week, government troops recovered a cache of weapons left behind by rebels in Maguindanao province. He said the rebels have launched a series of attacks in recent weeks in Mindanao.
The MILF, which is fighting for independence in the restive region, denied any involvement in the latest bombing. “Not us, we have no involvement in the attack. We are pro-people, we are for peace,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.
Kabalu tied the blast to political feud. “The bombing could be the result of a political feud,” he said without further elaborating.
On Monday, two powerful explosions damaged the Agus Bridge in Lanao del Norte’s Iligan City. The bridge connects several provinces in Mindanao. The military also tagged the MILF as behind the attack.
Manila opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but the negotiations collapsed last year after government negotiators reneged on a deal that would grant some four million Muslims a separate homeland across more than 700 villages in Mindanao. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, April 13, 2009
Gunmen ambush PDEA agents in Mindanao
Policemen inspect the bullet-riddled cars of PDEA agents who were ambushed in Maguindanao's Sultan Kudarat town. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales).COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 13, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen on Monday ambushed and killed two members of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency on their way to arrest a suspected drug dealer in Mindanao, police said.
Police said two other agents were injured in the attack that occurred at around 5.30 a.m. in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The four victims were to serve a warrant of arrest to Piad Abdullah when gunmen ambushed them. It was unknown whether the ambushers were followers of Abdullah or if there was a leak of his impending arrest.
Police identified the slain agents as Pabllo Jala and Tho and the wounded as Brian Babang and Mark Anthony Viray – all members of the PDEA in the Muslim autonomous region.
Other reports said three were slain and three others injured in the ambush. (With a report from Mark Navales)
Police said two other agents were injured in the attack that occurred at around 5.30 a.m. in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The four victims were to serve a warrant of arrest to Piad Abdullah when gunmen ambushed them. It was unknown whether the ambushers were followers of Abdullah or if there was a leak of his impending arrest.
Police identified the slain agents as Pabllo Jala and Tho and the wounded as Brian Babang and Mark Anthony Viray – all members of the PDEA in the Muslim autonomous region.
Other reports said three were slain and three others injured in the ambush. (With a report from Mark Navales)
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
MILF, Militias Clashed In South RP
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 24, 2009) – Moro rebels clashed with pro-government militias in the restive region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front said at least 2 militias were wounded in the fighting that broke out Monday in the village of Santa Clara in Sultan Kudarat’s Kalamansig town.
The fighting also forced civilians to flee their homes. It was unknown what triggered the clashes, but the two groups had been fighting in the past over huge track of lands Muslims claimed their ancestral domain. (Mindanao Examiner)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front said at least 2 militias were wounded in the fighting that broke out Monday in the village of Santa Clara in Sultan Kudarat’s Kalamansig town.
The fighting also forced civilians to flee their homes. It was unknown what triggered the clashes, but the two groups had been fighting in the past over huge track of lands Muslims claimed their ancestral domain. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
2 wounded in rebel attacks in Mindanao
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
1 killed, 4 wounded in separate explosions in Southern RP
Policemen inspect vehicles before midnight Monday, December 30, 2008 in Kidapawan City in the southern Philippines after one police officer was killed and four people were wounded in two explosions in Sultan Kudarat province and General Santos City.COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 31, 2008) – One person was killed and four others wounded in separate explosions in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Three people, including a policeman, were also injured in an explosion late Tuesday in General Santos City. Unidentified men on motorcycle tossed the bomb at a police post in the village of Lagao.
Officials said a homemade bomb also exploded inside a motorcycle taxi at a police checkpoint, killing its driver and wounding an officer Tuesday night in the village of Saliao in Sultan Kudarat’s Esperanza town.
“The driver of the tricycle was killed in the blast. We still do not know what triggered the explosion, but it’s one terrorist down,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.
He said the improvised explosive, assembled from 81 millimeter mortar bomb, was inside a sack full of charcoal when it went off at the police checkpoint.
Ando said the bomb was probably intended to another target.
“The bomb was in transit and probably exploded due to faulty assembly. We appeal to the public to stay vigilant and report to authorities any suspicious persons in your community,” he said.
Ando said the bomb was similar to explosives used by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in previous attacks.
The MILF denied any links to the explosion. “The driver who was killed in the blast was a Christian and the MILF has nothing to do with it,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.
The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in the southern Philippines. Peace talks between the rebels and the government failed in August after the aborted signing of the Muslim homeland deal. The failed signing sparked a series of deadly rebel attacks in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, December 25, 2008
7 killed in rebel attacks in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 25, 2008) – At least seven civilians were killed and nine others wounded in a series of rebel attacks in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said soldiers also disarmed Thursday an improvised bomb planted on a bridge in the town of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao province, a day after Moro Islamic Liberation Front gunmen attacked military and police posts in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan and North Cotabato.
Three civilians were also seized by rebels on a farming village in Pickawayan town in North Cotabato province.
“There have been an increase in MILF attacks the past 24 hours and already seven civilians were killed and nine others wounded,” said Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
He said the rebels launched attacks on government detachments in the provinces, sparking sporadic clashes, but there were no reports of military or police casualties.
“Seven people were killed, all of them civilians, and nine others wounded in the attacks plus three more abducted by rebels,” Ando said.
He said rebel forces fired small rockets and automatic weapons in attacking army and police posts. “There were no provocations on our part and the rebels attacked our positions,” he said.
The MILF said one of its fighters was killed in the fighting in North Cotabato’s Aleosan town after rebels clashed with pro-government militias who grabbed their lands.
“The fighting was triggered by old conflict between rebels and militias. This is land conflict and the militias grabbed the lands of owned by rebels and their families,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.
Kabalu also denied that rebels targeted civilians in the provinces. “They may have been shot by soldiers and militias on suspicion they were MILF members,” he said.
Officials said soldiers also disarmed Thursday an improvised bomb planted on a bridge in the town of Datu Unsay in Maguindanao province, a day after Moro Islamic Liberation Front gunmen attacked military and police posts in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan and North Cotabato.
Three civilians were also seized by rebels on a farming village in Pickawayan town in North Cotabato province.
“There have been an increase in MILF attacks the past 24 hours and already seven civilians were killed and nine others wounded,” said Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
He said the rebels launched attacks on government detachments in the provinces, sparking sporadic clashes, but there were no reports of military or police casualties.
“Seven people were killed, all of them civilians, and nine others wounded in the attacks plus three more abducted by rebels,” Ando said.
He said rebel forces fired small rockets and automatic weapons in attacking army and police posts. “There were no provocations on our part and the rebels attacked our positions,” he said.
The MILF said one of its fighters was killed in the fighting in North Cotabato’s Aleosan town after rebels clashed with pro-government militias who grabbed their lands.
“The fighting was triggered by old conflict between rebels and militias. This is land conflict and the militias grabbed the lands of owned by rebels and their families,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.
Kabalu also denied that rebels targeted civilians in the provinces. “They may have been shot by soldiers and militias on suspicion they were MILF members,” he said.
The MILF is fighting for the establishment of a separate homeland for more than four million Muslims in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, December 05, 2008
9 people wounded in Philippines bombings
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 5, 2008) – Nine people were injured in separate bomb explosions in the restive region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, officials said on Friday.
The attacks occurred after security forces arrested a Bangladeshi terror suspect in Shariff Kabunsuan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The first explosion wounded six civilians late Thursday in downtown Isulan in Sultan Kudarat province. It was followed by another attack Friday morning wounding an army soldier and two other civilians near Bagong village in Shariff Aguak, the hometown of the region’s Muslim governor Zaldy Ampatuan.
“We suspect the MILF as behind all these bombings, who else would do that, but the MILF rebels,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Ando was referring to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, which is fighting for self-determination in the troubled South.
The army also linked the MILF to last week’s bomb attack on a church of the Jehova’s Witness in Kabacan town in North Cotabato province, a rebel stronghold in Mindanao.
Five other bombs were planted on the same church and the Iglesia Ni Cristo in recent days had been disarmed by soldiers.
The MILF strongly denied all accusations. “The MILF has nothing to do with all these bombings. Authorities should investigate these attacks to determine who is behind it. We have repeatedly and publicly denounced terrorism, we are for peace,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.
The attacks occurred after security forces arrested a Bangladeshi terror suspect in Shariff Kabunsuan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The first explosion wounded six civilians late Thursday in downtown Isulan in Sultan Kudarat province. It was followed by another attack Friday morning wounding an army soldier and two other civilians near Bagong village in Shariff Aguak, the hometown of the region’s Muslim governor Zaldy Ampatuan.
“We suspect the MILF as behind all these bombings, who else would do that, but the MILF rebels,” Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Ando was referring to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, which is fighting for self-determination in the troubled South.
The army also linked the MILF to last week’s bomb attack on a church of the Jehova’s Witness in Kabacan town in North Cotabato province, a rebel stronghold in Mindanao.
Five other bombs were planted on the same church and the Iglesia Ni Cristo in recent days had been disarmed by soldiers.
The MILF strongly denied all accusations. “The MILF has nothing to do with all these bombings. Authorities should investigate these attacks to determine who is behind it. We have repeatedly and publicly denounced terrorism, we are for peace,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said in a separate interview.
Authorities on Tuesday arrested Muhammad Alpariz, an alleged Bangladeshi al-Qaeda bomb expert, after soldiers and police commandos raided his hideout in the village of Tapayan in Sultan Mastura town in the Muslim autonomous province of Shariff Kabunsuan.
Soldiers and policemen recovered from Alpariz's hideout several improvised explosives assembled from mortar bombs and blasting caps, including cellular phones and an alarm clock.
It was not immediately known if Alpariz was working alone or whether he had links with the MILF. But his Filipino wife, Sulaika Rafiquellah, said her husband was not Muhammad Alpariz, but Mohammad Rafiquellah.
She said her 48-year old husband is not a terrorist and not a member of either the al-Qaeda or Jemaah Islamiya. In a television interview, Rafiquellah said her husband had been framed up by authorities. "He is a farmer, a mechanic and has a cell phone repair shop in Sultan Mastura town," she said.
The foreigner also denied the charges against him. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Blast Injures 4 People In South RP
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 30, 2008) – Four people were wounded, including an eight-year old girl, in an explosion late Thursday in the southern Philippine province of Sultan Kudarat, army reports said.
The explosion occurred at around 7 p.m. in Esperanza town and that two of the wounded - Mohalidin Singson, 26; and Narrez Hadjiali, 32 - were being investigated by the authorities.
Both men, who are native of Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province, were believed carrying the explosive when it accidentally went off and also injured Dina Varona, 44, and Clarine Velasco, 8, all local residents.
It was unknown whether the two men are members of any rebel group, but the province is a known stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which has been fighting for self-determination the past three decades.
The explosion occurred at around 7 p.m. in Esperanza town and that two of the wounded - Mohalidin Singson, 26; and Narrez Hadjiali, 32 - were being investigated by the authorities.
Both men, who are native of Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province, were believed carrying the explosive when it accidentally went off and also injured Dina Varona, 44, and Clarine Velasco, 8, all local residents.
It was unknown whether the two men are members of any rebel group, but the province is a known stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which has been fighting for self-determination the past three decades.
On Tuesday, government soldiers disarmed three improvised bombs planted at a bus depot in North Cotabato’s Kabacan town.
The explosives were assembled from two 81mm and a 60mm mortar bombs and connected to blasting caps and batteries, according Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the 6th Army’s Infantry Division.
Ando blamed rogue MILF members as behind the foiled bombing. Security forces were pursuing rebel forces under Ameril Kato, Abdullah Macapaar and Sulayman Pangalian, who led a series of deadly attacks against civilian targets in August after the failed signing of the Muslim territorial deal with the MILF.
Manila suspended peace talks with the rebel group because of the attacks that killed and wounded dozens of people in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces.
Police and military authorities previously blamed the spate of bus depot bombings to the Al-Khobar gang. (Nickee Butlangan)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
8 Slain In Rebel Attacks In Mindanao
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 11, 2008) – Eight people were killed in separate attacks Saturday by rebel forces in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said.
Army Major Armand Rico, a spokesman of the Eastern Mindanao Command headquarters, said Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels attacked the village of Sangay in Sultan Kudarat's Kalamansig town at around 4 a.m., killing four civilians and a policeman and wounding three civilians.
The attack, which triggered a firefight, also killed one rebel, he said, but MILF forces also took two villagers and used them as shield against pursuing government forces.
“The MILF rebels are killing people wantonly in the area,” the spokesman said.
He said communist insurgents also ambushed a KM450 military truck and killed to army soldiers in the village of Dagohoy in the town of Talaingod in Davao del Norte province.
The attack occurred at around 9.15 a.m. as troops were on their way to bring provisions to government forces pursuing New People's Army insurgents in the province. “The insurgents attacked troops who were only bringing food supplies to soldiers. Two good soldiers perished in the attack,” Rico said.
The MILF is the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate homeland in Mindanao, while the NPA is also fighting to overthrow the democratic government and install a Maoist state in the Philippines.
The military said both rebel groups have in the past forged an alliance to fight the military and train each other forces. The MILF has previously loaned the NPA rocket-propelled grenade launchers and in return communist insurgents trained Moro rebels in guerilla warfare in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
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