Marines ward off 200 MILF rebels massing up in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Government forces successfully repulsed a large group of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels massing up in the town of Maluso, Basilan.

Officials said troops were immediately sent to the area following reports that some 200 rebels were gathering in Barangay Lower Mahayahay, forcing some 700 villagers to evacuate.

Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, 1st Marine Brigade commander, said the MILF rebels were seen in the area since Friday.

Guerrero said local officials of Maluso tried to persuade the MILF rebels to withdraw, citing the apprehensions of villagers.

He said the military also advised the rebels to withdraw to avoid confrontation.

“The MILF forces did not heed the call so we are pushing them back since yesterday. We have to use our might to pull them back from the area,” Guerrero said.

There was no immediate report of clashes with the rebels. Guerrero added it was not immediately known if the rebels moved out from the area.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu clarified their forces were accompanying Commander Satar Ali for a dialogue with Maluso Mayor Sakib Salajin to settle their differences.

“These are relatives who were in internal conflict and have nothing to do with MILF affairs. I talked with the mayor and the leader there to try to settle their differences through dialogue because fighting will not lead them to solving the problem,” Kabalu said.

Kabalu appealed to the military to avoid any aggressive action against the rebels.

The MILF, on the other hand, accused the military of killing one and wounding four civilians, including a 12-year-old girl, during an airstrike in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Tuesday.

Military officials said government forces that have been chasing the rebel commanders behind the bloody rampage in Central Mindanao called in an airstrike Tuesday on a suspected MILF camp in Barangay Pusao in Mamasapano.

Regional military spokesman Maj. Randolph Cabangbang denied the airstrike hurt any civilians.

“If somebody got killed, for sure he is a member” of the MILF, he said.

He said troops on the ground had a clear view of the target when the planes struck.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, however, said the bombing killed a 30-year-old man and wounded a 12-year-old girl. Three others were hurt, he said.

“It’s unacceptable. The military has been indiscriminately bombing Muslim populated areas,” Iqbal said.

On the other hand, Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said troops overran the rebel camp after a 10-minute clash and the guerrillas withdrew, leaving behind weapons, explosives and food.

“The firearms were virtually left in open fields by fleeing MILF rebels,” Ando said.       – With John Unson, AP