MILF kills 3 boar hunters; truce holds, but barely

ZAMBOANGA CITY — The truce between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is barely holding as the military accused the rebels of killing three hunters in Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte.

Lt. Col. Fredesvindo Covarrubias, chief of the Armed Forces’ 4th Civil Relations Group, said the three hunters were looking for wild boars for their Christmas Eve meal in Sipakit complex when the MILF rebels attacked them.

"The civilian hunters instead turned out as poor prey by the rebels in the area," he said.

Covarrubias said soldiers recovered the bullet-riddled bodies of the hunters last Wednesday.

Covarrubias said the rebels were under the command of Jaafar Aban, an MILF commander in the area.

"Those people were innocent victims," he said. "They were not military informers."

However, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied the rebels were behind the killing, saying that bandits and cattle rustlers were known to be active in the area and could have perpetrated the crime.

On the other hand, Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko, Armed Forces Southern Command chief, said MILF rebels had attacked troops that had been running after a band of kidnappers.

The rebels pounced on the soldiers as they were chasing the kidnappers that had sought refuge in MILF-held territory, he added.

The military and the MILF ceasefire panel agreed more than two weeks ago to silence their guns after a series of bloody gunbattles in Datu Piang, Maguindanao.

Four soldiers were killed in the fighting which left scores of rebel casualties.

Meanwhile, Kabalu said a team of Malaysian military observers is expected to arrive on the second week of January to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire.

Kabalu said the presence of the independent foreign monitoring team will ease clashes as a result of "non-proper coordination" between the MILF and military.

The military has previously accused the MILF of violating the ceasefire by sheltering outlaw groups including members of the Jemaah Islamiyah network and former rebels who have turned to banditry. — Roel Pareño, AFP