OZAMIZ CITY—Abdurahman Macapaar, better known as Commander Bravo, has led Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in a number of headline-grabbing tactical offensives, including Monday’s attacks on several towns in Lanao del Norte.

The 5’ 4” Moro rebel is a hot-tempered leader of medium build, who, in several instances, had issued provocative public pronouncements that ran counter to the MILF Central Committee’s stand. He enjoys a large following that he inherited from a relative who once held power over local rebel forces.

Commander Bravo’s bastion is a mountain complex covering the towns of Munai, Pantao-Ragat and Matungao, where the rebel leader has many relatives.

On March 17, 2000, Commander Bravo led MILF forces in taking control and occupying the Kauswagan municipal hall. His forces were able to lay siege to the town for about eight hours before they were finally driven out by government troops before nightfall.
The siege led to clashes with government troops that left scores of people dead and displaced thousands of others. The Marines regained control of the town hall that day, but Kauswagan remained virtually a ghost town for several months.

‘All-out war’ policy

Commander Bravo’s attack prompted then President Joseph Estrada to declare an all-out war against the MILF the following day. With the new policy of the Estrada administration, fighting spread throughout Central Mindanao and ended when Army soldiers overran the MILF’s main headquarters in Camp Abubakar.

On April 25, 2003, Commander Bravo again launched an offensive and occupied the nearby municipality of Maigo. The previous night, he massed his troops and deployed them on both ends of the highway bordering Maigo, crippling the flow of vehicles carrying people and commodities.

At least 16 people were killed as Commander Bravo and his men robbed civilians of their valuables.

Interviewed by journalists, Bravo said the MILF was staging the attack to cripple the economy and make the government more responsive to the political demands of the Bangsamoro people.

It took some time for the MILF central leadership to issue an explanation for the Maigo attack, but which was not in-sync with Bravo’s pronouncements.

Radio exchange

Later, it was revealed that the Maigo attack stemmed from a heated exchange of words between Commander Bravo and an anti-Moro local chief executive in a radio program.

The Maigo attack resulted in the postponement of the Palarong Pambansa in Tubod, capital town of Lanao del Norte. The attack also soured the atmosphere in an upcoming meeting between the peace panels of the government and the MILF.

In mid-2007, Commander Bravo threatened to attack government installations in Lanao del Norte if the military pushed through with its plans to enter MILF areas in Albarkah town in Basilan and arrest suspects in a massacre of Marine soldiers.

The threats came as both the MILF and the government were jointly investigating the killings through the joint ceasefire committee and the International Monitoring Team.

Late last year, Commander Bravo again issued threats to launch strikes against the government as an expression of disgust over its failure to honor its agreements. The Malaysia-brokered peace negotiations later stalled.