And Military chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, accompanied by Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, pins Gold Cross medals to wounded soldiers in Zamboanga City in these photos released by the Western Mindanao Command Public Information Office under Capt. Maria Rowena Muyuela.
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 15, 2014) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have aided the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf in fighting Philippine government forces in the troubled province of Basilan in the Muslim autonomous region.
Military chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said they have reports that MILF rebels fought alongside Abu Sayyaf militants that killed two army soldiers and wounded 29 more in the towns of Tipo-Tipo and Ungkaya Pukan.
Fierce fighting erupted last Friday after troops stormed an Abu Sayyaf lair and clashed with about 60 militants whose group has been blamed in the spate of terrorism and kidnappings for ransom in Basilan and other parts of the southern Philippines.
“We were running after the ASG, yun MILF kinausap sila through our mechanisms that we are going to launch enforcement operations and they supported that. Kung saan ay mayroon silang mga members that they cannot control, may mga kamag-anak sila sa Abu Sayyaf (and) they probably joined (the fighting) in their individual capacity (and) not as MILF (organization), as relatives…naguusap yun MILF and AFP so it’s very clear yun,” Bautista told reporters while visiting wounded troops in Zamboanga City.
Bautista defended the MILF, which has recently signed a peace deal with Manila, saying the country’s largest Muslim rebel group had no participation in the clashes, although some of its members who have relatives with the Abu Sayyaf were involved.
“There is no participation of the MILF in the operations. May usapan tayo with the MILF and it is working and kausap natin yun mga commander nila during the operations and they support our operations. Ngayon alam naman natin na ang MILF ay irregular force yan, minsan mayroong kamag-anak ang ASG doon, Ganoon ang nangyari,” he said.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, who accompanied Bautista, said they are still verifying reports that as many as 32 rebels were killed and wounded in the fighting. “We are checking this report that at least 18 rebels were killed and 14 others were wounded in the clashes. All these (reports) came from the grounds,” Tutaan told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
Despite the massive military assault, the militants escaped, but the military said the operation against the Abu Sayyaf will not stop.
The army said the offensive targeted Abu Sayyaf leaders Puruji Indama, Nurhasan Jamiri and Isnilon Hapilon, but there were no reports whether they had been killed. Some 200 soldiers had taken part in the offensive. (Mindanao Examiner)
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