MANILA, Philippines - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could not defeat the military but will never surrender, the secessionists said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters at Darapan complex in Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat province, MILF chief peace negotiator Mohaghir Iqbal said only a negotiated settlement could end the 39-year-old conflict in Mindanao.
“We know we could not defeat the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) here but in the same manner the military could not force us and our fighters into submission,” he said.
Iqbal said the MILF will propose to the government the adoption of the Northern Ireland peace model to stop the fighting in Mindanao.
The MILF leaders went to Northern Ireland to explore ways to copy the peace model that ended the war between the Catholics and the Protestants, he added.
However, the MILF will not go back to the negotiating table without the government offering anything, Iqbal said.
Of the 19 MILF base commands in Mindanao, only Ameril Umbra Kato, Macaapar Abduraham alias Commander Bravo and Aleem Pangalian are fighting the government.
Troops are hunting them down for leading the rampage in communities in the Lanao provinces, Maguindanao and Cotabato province that left dozens of civilians dead and wounded in August last year.