MILF-gov’t clashes resume in Basilan
Civilian killed in crossfire
Mindanao Bureau
First Posted 07:37:00 12/01/2008
Filed Under: The Southern Campaign, Armed conflict, Mindanao peace process
ZAMBOANGA CITY—A civilian died in the crossfire as renewed hostilities between soldiers and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels erupted in Basilan province on Friday, officials said on Saturday.
The battles in Albarkah and Tipo-Tipo Central towns took place as a team of international monitors, which has supervised the implementation of the 2001 ceasefire accord between the government and the rebels, officially pulls out of Mindanao this week.
Basilan Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul identified the fatality as Moh Kullalul, a resident of Linuan in Albarkah. The civilian was killed by mortar fire, he said by phone.
Sakalahul said residents from at least four villages—Magkawa, Ginanta and Linuan in Albarkah and Limbo-o Pas in Tipo-Tipo Central—had already fled on Friday afternoon.
But he said he was still trying to determine the exact number of villagers displaced by the hostilities.
“The situation is still tense,” he said.
Howitzers, mortars
Sakalahul said the clashes erupted when soldiers of the 1st Marine Brigade fired howitzers and mortars at suspected lairs of Abu Sayyaf bandits in the two towns.
Col. Rustico Guerrero, brigade commander, confirmed the clashes. But he declined to provide additional details, saying he was in the middle of the operations.
“(We are) running after the Abu Sayyaf Group and kidnappers, I am not in Tabiawan (the base of the Marines) and hope you understand,” he said.
Sakalahul said the offensive was launched against suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf who snatched a 9-year-old girl from Lamitan City.
The bandits were believed to be responsible for the earlier kidnapping of humanitarian aid workers Merlie Mendoza and Esperancita Hupida,
Mendoza and Hupida were recently released after their families paid ransom.
Hadji Hassan Lamla, chair of the MILF’s Yakan City Committee, said the rebel fighters got involved when the military started targeting their positions.
Because of this, Lamla said the MILF in the province believed that the military strikes were against its guerrillas.
He said the MILF fighters, led by Commanders Asid Salih and Hud Limaya, had put up a defense formation and traded bullets with the Marines since Friday.
Sakalahul confirmed that Linuan, Ginanta and Magkawa are known territories of the MILF.
But he said the Abu Sayyaf also operates in the villages.
Sakalahul said the operation could be on track because at the height of the bombardment in Linuan village, he got a call from the Abu Sayyaf warning him that a 17-year-old nursing student from Zamboanga, who was being held in captivity, might get caught in the crossfire.
Int’l monitoring team
In Cotabato City, the government and the MILF have set a meeting in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the possible extension of the tour of duty of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), according to MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal.
Iqbal said the continued presence of the team was vital in the wake of the collapse of the peace negotiations.
Asked if the peace talks would also be discussed during the meeting, the date of which he would not say, Iqbal said it was conceived mainly with the IMT tour of duty, which ended Sunday.
“Only matters related to the IMT will be discussed,” Iqbal said.
The IMT was put up by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to prevent conflict between the military and the MILF from going out of control.
Since its inception in 2001, the team has managed to prevent dozens of misunderstandings from becoming a full-blown war between the government and the MILF.
“We acknowledge with gratitude the efforts shown by the IMT members in preventing the possible escalation of war in Mindanao. Your mediation efforts to keep peace in Mindanao has paid off and it is regrettable that you have to leave,” Rey Selana, head of the government’s ceasefire committee, said.
Selana issued the statement as ceremonies marking the pull-out of the last 12 members of the IMT from Malaysia, Libya, Japan and Indonesia were taking place Sunday. Julie Alipala, Jeoffrey Maitem, Charlie Señase and Germelina Lacorte, Inquirer Mindanao
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