MARAWI CITY – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who are negotiating a final peace deal with Manila executed 3 men found guilty of murder in Lanao del Sur, one of 5 provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
A video clip of the execution was recorded by a rebel on his cell phone and eventually posted on Facebook. It showed the trio, identified only by their first name or alias – Patrol, Sabar and Udi – blind folded and each tied to a bamboo pole while rebels aimed their automatic rifles and shot them.
A senior rebel leader, Abdullah Macapaar, also known by his nom de guerre Commander Bravo gave the final order of the execution as he watched from behind the line of the musketeers, all clad in black coverall suit and bonnet.
They chanted “Allahu Akbar” many times as they untied the three men after shooting them. All of the men were still breathing as they lay to the ground, but eventually expired from bullet wounds in the chest. Dozens of rebels also witnessed the execution.
The 10-minute clip was posted by Abu Haneef Tabarusaw. It was unknown when the execution took place and where, but comments left by those who watched the video claimed the firing squad occurred in the town called Balindong after the trio had been found guilty by a rebel court and sentenced them to die by musketry.
The death sentence was handed down to prevent a clan war between the families of the men and their victims. Clan war is not uncommon in the Muslim region.
One comment reads: “Ang kasalanan po ng mga namatay ay nakapatay po ng tao. Dahil hindi sila napatawad ng pamilya ng pinatay nila ay kamatayan rin po ang kabayaran. Ang isa po dun (ay) para maiwasan lumala pa ang rido (clan war).”
It was not the first time the MILF executed criminals found guilty by their Shariah court. The rebel group also publicly hanged 3 men in the restive regions in the past. There was no immediate statement from the authorities, but the clip has gone viral after it was shared on Facebook on January 3.
The MILF, which is fighting for a Muslim homeland in the troubled South, signed an interim peace deal with the Aquino government in 2014. (Mindanao Examiner)
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