MILF ‘denies’ the attack

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday washed its hands off the attacks conducted by its forces in Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces.

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said they are still “verifying” whether the forces involved in the incidents are indeed from their ranks.

“As far as the leadership of the MILF is concerned, walang utos ang leadership (the MILF leadership has given no order to attack),” Jaafar said in an interview on dzRH radio.

He added that the MILF has already dispatched already the ceasefire committee to Lanao to probe the clashes there.

“We have spoken to our forces in Lanao areas and they denied attacking Lanao right now,” Jaafar said.

He said the MILF has been conducting peace talks with the Arroyo administration, which he said had shown its “sincerity” so far.

Jaafar said they are still “verifying” reports that the MILF tried to enter Sarangani province at 2:30 a.m. Monday.

“We did not send forces there, those might just be people who ride on with the issue,” Jaafar said.

But he confirmed the forces that were involved in attacks in Lanao del Norte were identified with the MILF’s Commander Bravo.

“Gusto namin alamin ang puno’t dulo nito (We want to get to the bottom of this),” he said.

Jaafar said there will be “disciplinary action” for MILF forces involved in the violence, but said it was “unfair” for the MILF leadership to be blamed for the violence at this time.

Jaafar also appealed to political leaders and to the members of the media to exercise caution and sensitivity in handling the issue on the stalled ancestral domain deal.

“They should not inflame the frustration that some of our military leaders have been feeling right now. We are urging the media to handlethe MoA-AD very cautiously so as not to cause more misunderstand thatcould lead to full-scale fighting,” Jaafar said.

He added that the coverage of the media might have caused the clashes in Lanao areas now.

In a separate interview on dzXL radio, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said it is “possible” some of the attackers were from the MILF but he refused to give “speculative statements.”

For his part, military North Cotabato command center officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Jorge Segovia said the soldiers will fight back.

Red Alert: Iligan Casualty Count

Ten civilians were killed when suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels staged early morning attacks in the southern provinces of Lanao del Norte and Sarangani, a television report and local officials said Monday.

A report said eight people were killed in skirmishes in Kauswagan town in Lanao del Norte. The same report said the fatalities came from Lapayan village.

The television report cited the military as the source of its information.

Military officials have earlier identified Commander Bravo as the leader of the MILF forces that attacked the Lanao del Norte towns.

In Sarangani, Governor Miguel Jose Dominguez said two more civilians were killed when suspected MILF rebels attacked Maasim town about 2:30 a.m. Monday.

A local military commander confirmed the fatalities, adding that the rebels also destroyed a transformer in the area.

The television report said the rebels have retreated to the mountains, reportedly taking with them children in their escape. A village chieftain was also said to be among the hostages.

It added that government troops had temporarily stopped artillery fire toward rebel position to void unnecessary casualties.

Soldiers at Camp Ranao, Marawi City, prepare to unload the bodies of seven troops killed in an MILF ambush in Lanao Sur, Sunday

No kidnapping of priests

One soldier, identified only as Cpl. Borlado, in an interview by local radio dxRZ, said they recovered 3 more corpses, apparently shot, at a bridge in Kolambugan town. He said at least two soldiers from his team were wounded in the fighting with rebels in the town.

“Fighting is fierce,” he said.

Six Catholic priests, led by Fr. Reggie Quijano, said they hid inside their convent in Kolambugan after rebels occupied the town. “I saw two squads of rebels near the our church and we immediately hid on the second floor on the convent,” he said.

The priests were earlier reported to have been taken hostage by rebels.

The highway connecting Lanao del Norte from other provinces was already occupied by rebels and that tens of thousands of civilians have fled their homes for fear they would be caught in the cross-fire.

Witnesses said some areas in the occupied towns were burning after rebels torched houses and buildings as the fighting was raging. Radio reports said rebel forces burned down markets and government buildings in the towns.

The MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, said the attacks were carried out by rebels disgruntled over the slow paced of the talks and the failure of both sides to sign the ancestral domain.

“This incident could be connected to the failure of the signing of the ancestral domain deal and many rebels are disgruntled. We are trying to reach Commander Bravo, but we cannot get through him. This fighting should stop. We don’t want the fighting to spread to other areas,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said.

The attacks came a day after suspected MILF rebels ambushed government troops in Lanao del Sur Sunday, killing seven soldiers and militiamen and wounding nearly a dozen others.

Armed Forces chief General Alexander Yano described the ambush as “a virtual declaration of war” by the MILF.

Yano said the military is now taking steps to “stop MILF atrocities.”

Red Alert Iligan: War Update 2

The mayor of Kolambugan town in Lanao del Norte province on Monday morning confirmed that armed men have already taken over their business center.

In an interview on radio dzBB, Mayor Bertrand Lumaque said that as of 4 a.m. Monday, armed men occupied the town’s rural banks and pawnshops.

“Nasa poblacion area na sila. Nasakop na ang business area, pati ang rural banks at mga pawnshop (They are now on the town proper. They have occupied our business area, including rural banks and pawnshops),” Lumaque said.

Asked if the armed men were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the mayor replied, “siguro (maybe).”

A military intelligence official earlier told GMANews.TV that the armed men were MILF fighters.

Lumaque said they cannot confirm yet if there were hostages or casualties as the armed men blocked the roads but he believed many civilians were caught in the crossfire.

“Undergoing pa operasyon, mga putukan. Hindi pa namin mamonitor (The fighting continues, we cannot monitor yet the number of affected residents),” Lumaque said.

He said many houses in their town were burned and the residents are now fleeing.

The mayor asked the military for reinforcement as their police are on defensive mode.

He said they have seen a chopper but it cannot land yet as the fighting is still fierce.

Red Alert Iligan: War Update 1

Suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels attacked two towns in Lanao del Norte province early Monday, prompting police in nearby Iligan City to go on heightened alert.

Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz appealed to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hierarchy to send troops to his city to defend the residents.

“Sa ngayon ang heightened alert ang ating mga tao rito. Ilang municipalities from Lanao del Norte, ang Kolambugan at Maigo sinusunog ng MILF. Dahil dito ang information galing AFP kinumpirma, tayo naghahanda rin. Kung kailangan depensahan ang sarili gagawin natin (Our police forces are on heightened alert for now. We received word the MILF had attacked Kolambugan and Maigo towns in Lanao del Norte, so we are preparing to defend ourselves),” Cruz said in an interview on dzXL radio.

Citing reports reaching him, he said roads to Iligan City from Kolambugan and Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte, and from Ozamiz and Pagadian Cities have been closed.

A military intelligence official confirmed that heavy fighting was on going in Kauswagan and Kolumbugan towns in Lanao del Norte since 4:30 a.m. Monday.

The same official said there have been no reported casualties so far in the skirmishes.

Appeal

Cruz appealed to commuters for understanding, adding it will be safer for them to stay home for the day.

“Malakas ang bali-balita may mangyayaring malaking gulo. Kung totoo mas maigi sa tahanan (There is information indicating probable chaos. If this is true, it would be better for our commuters to stay home),” he said.

But Cruz said that if the attacks were a message from the MILF to him, he said the city and its residents will not be cowed.

Iligan City is one of the areas whose residents have rejected inclusion in a proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, as provided in a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.

“Kung ito ang ginagawa nilang mensahe sa amin nagkakamali sila. Steadfast kami, dapat respetuhin ang tinig ng Iligan (If this is a message of the MILF to us, they are sadly mistaken. We remain steadfast against inclusion in the BJE),” he said.

Cruz also noted the MILF attacks came after the bombings of at least two inns Sunday, where at least three people were reported injured.

Also Sunday, a 30-minute power failure hit the city but Cruz said this was a power trip-off and not likely related to the MILF. He said power returned to normal between 11 and 11:30 p.m.

Red Alert Iligan: War has broken out!

August 17, 2008

At least three people were wounded in two separate explosions Sunday in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Police and military authorities said two improvised explosive devices (IED) went off 20 minutes apart in two budget hotels in Iligan City.

“Three persons are wounded in the [blasts] and we have deployed soldiers to help policemen secure the area,” Army Brig. Gen. Hilario Atendido, commander of a military task force.

He said the first blast occurred around 5.30 p.m. at the Traveler’s Inn, where three people were wounded and another exploded later at the Caprice Lodge. No group claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Iligan, one of several areas being claimed by Muslim rebels as part of the ancestral domain.

Meanwhile, radio dzBB’s Iligan City affiliate reported Sunday night that the explosions came a week after text messages circulated that some establishments would be bombed.

Government troops also disarmed an IED planted near a school in North Cotabato, where fresh fighting between security and Muslim rebel forces erupted on Friday.

Authorities are also in high alert in North Cotabato after civilians on Friday discovered an improvised explosive device in Mlang town, a day after policemen arrested a would-be-attacker and a self-confessed member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at the town’s market after an explosive he was carrying went off prematurely.

On Thursday, soldiers also defused a powerful IED at a bus depot in North Cotabato’s Kidapawan City. The province had been attacked in the past by Moro rebels and members of the Indonesian terror group called Jema’ah Islamiyah and the local militant groups Abu Sayyaf and the Al-Khobar.

Troops on Wednesday regained control of 15 villages in North Cotabato province after a weeklong battle with MILF forces that left more than two dozen rebels and soldiers dead and wounded and over 160,000 people fleeing their homes.

Some 800 rebels occupied the villages after clashing with government militias over a land dispute and the fighting eventually spread to other areas.

Update as of August 18,2008

9:34am

6 Priests and a couple of civilians were taken hostage by the MILF rebels. Their status is still uknown. Arsons and massacres are happening now in Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte.