Rebels Accused Philippine Soldiers Of Violating Peace Accord

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 19 Apr) – The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) on Thursday accused the Philippine military of starting hostilities in the southern island of Jolo that left at least two dozen people dead and over 100 wounded.

The fighting, which began April 13, have displaced some 42,000 civilians in seven towns in Jolo, about 950 km south of Manila. The military said the MNLF rebels are coddling Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya terrorists on the island.

“It was them who started the fight. The military attacked our forces and killed our members in the guise of pursuing the Abu Sayyaf and later tell us that the killings are a mistake and so on.”

“We cannot tolerate this abuse anymore. Our members are asking us what is happening and we cannot tolerate this violation of the peace agreement anymore. We wanted peace, but it appears the military does not want peace at all,” an MNLF leader, Habier Malik, said.

Security officials said rebel forces attacked several military posts in Panamao town and that one of the mortars exploded near a government building, killing a child and wounding another villager. But the military said there could be more civilian casualties.

Two marine soldiers were also killed and eight more wounded many seriously, when rebels attacked their post in the village of Tayungan with mortar bombs last week.

Army Major Eugene Batara, a regional military spokesman, said Malik’s group fired mortar bombs on the headquarters of the Philippine Marines in the village of Seit also last week.

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

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

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

And in November 2001, on the eve of the elections in the Muslim autonomous region, Misuari accused the government of reneging on the peace agreement, and launched a new rebellion in Jolo island and Zamboanga City, where more than 100 people were killed.

Misuari then escaped by boat to Malaysia, but had been arrested and deported to the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Troops Kill MNLF Rebel In Jolo Clash

Muslim children play at an empty military checkpoint in Tagbak village in Jolo island in southern RP.(Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 17 Apr) – Government soldiers clashed Tuesday with Moro National Liberation Front rebels in the restive southern Filipino island of Jolo, killing one gunman, officials said.

Officials said one rebel was also captured and that he is being interrogated at a military base on the island.

“One rebel was killed in the clash and a second gunman has been taken alive and is under interrogation. Troops also recovered an M203 automatic rifle from the area,” Army Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command headquarters, told the Mindanao Examiner in Zamboanga City.

He said the fighting erupted in the village of Bitan-ag in Indanan town, scene of fierce clashes since April 13. There were no military casualties, he said.

But previous clashes had already killed three marine soldiers and wounded at least 53 others, according to Army Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan said.

Pabustan said 17 rebels had been killed and that 50 more were wounded in the fighting since last week.

Police on Tuesday also confirmed that Abu Sayyaf militants allied with the MNLF rebels have kidnapped seven people on the island. Other reports said nine soldiers were killed when rebels attacked a military truck with bazookas in Parang town and that two more soldiers had been seized by Abu Sayyaf militants at a checkpoint, but these could not be independently confirmed.

The military blamed MNLF leader Ustadz Habier Malik for the fighting, but he said troops started the skirmishes when they strayed inside rebel strongholds in the guise of pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants.

The government also put up one million pesos bounty on the head of Malik.Thousands of civilians gave fled their homes on the island because of the fighting and many are now housed at temporary shelters in safer areas.

A militant party list group, Suara Bangsamoro, on Tuesday condemned the reward offer and said the military was covering up its role in the skirmishes.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines is resorting to bounty to cover up its actual role in provoking Ustadz Habier Malik to declare a jihad," Amirah Ali Lidasan, the group’s national president, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

She said Malik has declared a holy war on the island. “Most likely the people in Sulu will heed Ustadz Habier Malik’s call for a jihad because of the long list of human rights violations and the intensifying military offensives against MNLF camps hiding under the pretext of running after Abu Sayyaf and Jeemayat Islamiya.”

“We believe that the call for a jihad was a response to the long list of injustices and violations to the peace accord that the AFP has committed against the MNLF and the people of Sulu,” said Lidasan.She said the fighting displaced as many as 50,000 civilians on Jolo island.

“We fear for the lives of those fleeing military operations and their lives once inside cramped makeshift evacuation centers. For the sake of the evacuees, we call for an end to the military’s pursuit operations. We urge AFP chief Hermogenes Esperon to heed the calls of the civilians,” Lidasan said.

Lidasan said the government offensives have affected residents in eight towns -- Luuk, Panamao, Panglima Estino, Patikul, Kalinggalan Caluang, Talipao, Indanan and Parang. (Mindanao Examiner)

Rebels Storm Military Posts In Jolo Island, 3 Dead, 12 Wounded!

Military and police armored vehicles patrol Jolo Island, where Moro National Liberation Front rebels attack military posts, leaving 3 people dead and about a dozen more injured. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

JOLO ISLAND (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Apr) – At least 3 people were killed and about a dozen more injured in a series of mortar attacks Saturday by Moro National Liberation Front rebels in the southern Filipino island of Jolo, officials said.

Officials said the rebels attacked several military posts in Panamao town and that one of the mortars exploded near a government building, killing a child and wounding another villager. But the military said there could be more civilian casualties.

Two marine soldiers were also killed and eight more wounded many seriously, when rebels attacked their post in the village of Tayungan with mortar bombs at around 6 a.m.

Army Major Eugene Batara, a regional military spokesman, said the rebels, under Jabier Malik, also rained mortar bombs on the headquarters of the Philippine Marines in the village of Seit before dawn Saturday.

“Malik’s group fired at least 5 rounds (of mortars) at the marine base, but only one exploded inside the (headquarters). The rebels also fired three more rounds toward the Panamao municipal hall (building). Security forces are in control of the situation,” Batara told the Mindanao Examiner newspaper.

Batara said the motive of the attacks were unknown, but troops on Wednesday clashed with suspected Abu Sayyaf militants allegedly aided by MNLF rebels in the village of Buanza in Indanan.

Major General Ruben Rafael, the island's military chief, condemned the attacks and said security forces will supress "this lawlessness perpetrated by this group." He said: "The (exact number of) civilian casualties are still unknown as of this report."

Fighting also erupted earlier this week in Talipao town near a major MNLF stronghold where troops raided a Jemaah Islamiya hideout and captured three local terrorists.

But an Indonesian bomber Umar Patek and a senior Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, had escaped the raiders in the village of Kanlimot.One soldier was also wounded in a separate clash Monday in Bakong village in Patikul town on the other side of the island.

Besides Patek, soldiers were also hunting down Dulmatin and Malaysian terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir and other Jemaah Islamiya militants hiding on the island under the protection of the Abu Sayyaf. Jakarta tagged both Patek and Dulmatin as behind the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australian holiday-makers.

While Zulkifli bin Hir, an engineer trained in the U.S. allegedly heads the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and is a member of Jemaah Islamiya central command.

Washington offered as much as $10 million reward for the capture of Dulmatin and $ 5 million for Zulkifli and Hapilon and another $1 million bounty for Patek.

The latest fighting broke out ahead of a planned peace advocacy forum in Jolo island on the government peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group. The MILF, which broke away with the MNLF, is fighting the past three decades for a separate homeland in Mindanao.

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

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

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

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