2 Marwan tipsters in MILF custody

COTABATO CITY—Two men believed to have tipped off authorities about the location of international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” are being kept in custody by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), according to sources inside the rebel group.

Marwan was cornered in a hut in a village in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, by a team of police commandos that suffered heavy casualties as they tried to extricate themselves from the covert operation.

At least 44 police commandos were killed in a gunfight with Moro guerrillas and other armed groups as they tried to protect the commando team that had gotten Marwan and was carrying the terrorist’s DNA sample.

According to MILF sources, it is not clear if the two tipsters, who are also members of the MILF, are being held for betraying the location of Marwan or if they are being hidden to protect their identities as they are potential recipients of the $6-million bounty for Marwan’s capture, dead or alive, that was raised by the US government.

Hazy details

The sources, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the two tipsters had sought refuge in an area controlled by a supposedly rival rebel group of the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), after the execution of Oplan Exodus, the operation to get Marwan, on Jan. 25.

The sources said information on the transfer of the tipsters to a BIFF territory led to an operation to arrest them by the MILF, which is being seen as the reason for a clash on Feb. 6 between the MILF and the BIFF in Kabasalan, a village in Pikit town, North Cotabato province.

Lt. Col. Audie Edralin, commanding officer of the 7th Infantry Battalion based in Pikit, said the military was not aware of any clash between the MILF and the BIFF on Feb. 6 in Pikit.

But lawyer Kirby Abdullah of the Humanitarian Emergency Assistance Response Team of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said there was, indeed, a clash in the village of Kabasalan.

Jun Adam, a resident of Kabasalan, said he heard gunfire in the village on Feb. 6 around 6:30 p.m.

MILF sources said two MILF commands—108th and 118th—clashed with BIFF members, under the command of Kagui Karialan, in the village of Kabasalan.

Old feud

Jack Abas, MILF commander, said the clash was an offshoot of a longstanding feud between Karialan and MILF members.

Bruce Antao, who is connected with the MILF Southern Command, said a brief gunfight also occurred between MILF and BIFF members in the village of Tugal, Sultan sa Barongis town, in Maguindanao.

There was no automatic fire during the hourlong clash, however, according to Antao.

The military yesterday said a clash between the MILF and the BIFF killed one person in Sultan sa Barongis on Monday.

Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said MILF rebels, under Commander Falcon, fought with BIFF members under Commander Gani.

The gunfight lasted 30 minutes, Petinglay said.

She said a BIFF member was killed in the clash and another BIFF member was injured. The identity of the slain BIFF guerrilla was not made available.

MILF members and BIFF gunmen regularly clash in Maguindanao and nearby areas.

Von Al Haq, MILF military chief, said the BIFF group of Karialan appeared to be on the move following the Mamasapano debacle.

Al Haq said the arrival of Karialan’s group in Sultan sa Barongis was an indication that the BIFF, supposedly a breakaway group of the MILF, was seeking refuge from government retaliation following the deaths of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano during an operation to get international terrorist Marwan. Nash B. Maulana, with a report from Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao