Kato’s men mix with evacuees–Army

A MAN carries a child wrapped in a red blanket as he flees from his house in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, along with dozens of other residents of the town amid clashes between followers of renegade guerrilla leader Ameril Umra Kato and government soldiers. The clashes started after Kato’s men attacked civilian communities in the province in a campaign believed meant to sabotage talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and government. JEOFFREY MAITEM/INQUIRER MINDANAO

COTABATO CITY—The military yesterday said it would exercise caution in its bid to capture renegade Moro guerrillas who are now hiding among evacuees after their main camp was seized by government soldiers on Tuesday.

Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said some of the followers of renegade Moro guerrilla leader Ameril Umra Kato have hidden their firearms and sought refuge in shelters for residents displaced by clashes between Kato’s forces and government soldiers.

“Some of them are now in the evacuation centers,” said Asto. “But, by all means, we will get them,” he said.

Social welfare officials of Maguindanao, where the fighting raged in several villages, could not be reached for comment.

There is no reason to worry, however, for displaced residents of the towns of Shariff Aguak, Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi, Datu Hoffer and Ampatuan, Asto said. The military, he said, would not be indiscriminate in its hunt for Kato’s men who are hiding in the shelters.

The military would coordinate with aid workers to flush out members of Kato’s Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) hiding among evacuees, Asto said. At least 40,000 people have been displaced by the clashes and have sought shelter in schools turned into evacuation centers.

Asto said many other BIFF leaders and members have fled to the 220,000-hectare Liguasan Marsh, which borders three provinces—Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. “They scattered into small groups,” said Asto.

An Army team, led by Col. Edmundo Pangilinan, is continuing “surgical operations” to capture or kill BIFF members, Asto said.

Soldiers are now securing Camp Omar, the main BIFF camp seized by the Army last Tuesday, to prevent Kato’s forces from retaking it, he said.

The military, said Asto, has recommended the conversion of the 4-square-kilometer Camp Omar into an agricultural zone. The camp straddles the towns of Upi, Datu Saudi, Datu Hoffer and Datu Unsay.

“The area is very productive,” Asto said. “The local governments in the three towns can plant rubber, oil palm or high-value crops there,” he said.

Von Al Haq, spokesperson for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said in a separate interview that the MILF will help the military run after Kato and his followers by providing information.

Al Haq said the MILF, which is currently negotiating a peace deal with government, is ready to reposition its forces to give way to the manhunt for Kato and his men inside Liguasan Marsh.

“Rest assured, we will not let Kato’s men hide in our camps,” he said.

The military also yesterday said it captured another camp of the BIFF in Maguindanao, though it was smaller than Camp Omar.

Col. Mayoralgo dela Cruz, head of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Brigade, said soldiers captured the camp on Hill 166 in Barangay Maig, Datu Unsay town, also on Tuesday after Kato’s men abandoned it.

Dela Cruz said more than 50 rebels had been killed in the government assaults, but this could not be independently confirmed.

“The offensive will continue until justice is served and they are again reduced to a ragtag group of bandits,” Dela Cruz said.

He said Army artillery “made a direct hit” on Hill 166 which could have forced Kato’s men to flee from the area. “That’s just one hit,” Dela Cruz said.

Maj. Gen. Rey Ardo, head of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the government assaults led to the capture of three of Kato’s camps and would continue until Kato and his group are captured or killed.

Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, said the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion was being transferred to Maguindanao from Compostela Valley.

He said the AFP was careful not to hurt civilians and members of MILF who are “assets in the area.” “What is important is we have secured their supply routes,” he said. Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao, and Philip C. Tubeza in Manila