'Kato threatens US soldiers to get media mileage'

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday warned renegade commander Ameril Umbra Kato of possible repercussions in his threatening to engage US troops involved in joint humanitarian projects with the government.

MILF deputy information chief Khaled Musa said Kato apparently wants to gain “media mileage” in his recent warning against US servicemen straying into his area.

The US government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has dozens of costly socio-economic projects in areas covered by the 1997 government-MILF general agreement on cessation of hostilities.

US troops are engaged in local community-relations projects in areas near the MILF’s Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao under the government’s “Balance Piston 11-3” along with counterpart troops from the Philippine Army.

Army’s 6th ID commander Brig. Gen. Rey Ardo said the troops and their American counterparts are involved in socio-economic projects, not combat maneuvers.

“There have been many projects like this between the 6th ID, as a Philippine government security outfit, and the US Armed Forces. Many impoverished communities in Maguindanao and North Cotabato benefited from the previous joint Philippine-US humanitarian exercises,” Ardo said.

Musa said Kato’s threats to target US servicemen have far reaching effects.

He said Kato probably did not know the implications of his threat.

“Whoever dares or threatens a superpower will surely catch the attention of the media, but will surely be in serious trouble in the end,” Musa said.

Musa said Kato should “cut his appetite” for publicity in issuing statements that could affect the peace process in Mindanao.

Armored combat vehicles and soldiers have been visible since Saturday along stretches of a highway leading to Maguindanao towns near the MILF’s Camp Omar, where Kato and his men are holding out.

Kato and his men broke away from the MILF and formed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM). He accused his former comrades of abandoning the struggle for a totally independent Mindanao state.

Kato had openly threatened to disrupt the peace process that he said would not solve the Mindanao problem.

The 6th ID has downplayed public apprehension of a possible military offensive against Kato and the BIFM.

“There was a recent spate of roadside bombings in Maguindanao and nearby provinces so we have to initiate preemptive actions to prevent a repeat of those bombings,” said Army regional spokesman Col. Prudencio Asto.

Local officials in the adjoining Maguindanao towns of Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi, Shariff Aguak, Datu Hofer and Guindulungan said they have reason to be apprehensive of possible bombings along the highway now that foreign-trained bomber Basit Usman has joined BIFM.

Usman, said to have undergone training in fabrication of improvised explosive devices in Peshawar, Pakistan and in Kandahar, Afghanistan in late 1990s, was tagged as mastermind in some 20 deadly bombings of buses, public terminals and commercial establishments in Central Mindanao from 2003 to 2009.

Army and police intelligence sources said Usman is now the logistics officer of the radical BIFM, whose leader, Kato, is a preacher who studied Islamic theology in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s.