MNLF soldier, gunman killed in firefight

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A soldier and a gunman of the Misuari-led Moro National Liberation (Front) were killed in a brief exchange of fire between government forces and rebel holdouts in the city on Monday.

Police regional spokesman Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca yesterday said troops encountered some MNLF stragglers trying to slip out from the village of Sta. Barbara, triggering a firefight while policemen were clearing the area.

The slain soldier was identified as Army Cpl. Hakim Jaafar while the dead rebel remained unidentified.

The government side has now four soldiers killed since Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin declared Saturday the war over in the city of Zamboanga.

The following day, six rebels were killed by government forces in the nearby village of Sta. Catalina.

Police and military forces continued to secure the mangrove area in the nearby coast of Sta. Catalina, Talon-Talon, and Mariki where the MNLF stragglers were reported to be hiding.

The military said the troops conducting clearing operations in Zamboanga City still face danger even if actual combat operations have concluded.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said there are still MNLF stragglers who refuse to surrender.

“Danger is present while undertaking the clearing operations. You don’t know how many they are, what weapons they still have and they are desperate. Desperate men will do the unthinkable,” Zagala said.

“We want to neutralize them through surrender or capture but sometimes, they do not want that,” he added.

Troops came across a house and shouted out to determine if someone was using it as a hiding place. They even threw a grenade but there was no response.

When they entered the house, an MNLF straggler suddenly fired at the soldiers, killing Jaafar. The soldiers fought back and managed to kill the unidentified rebel.

Zagala said Jaafar was the first soldier to be killed since they shifted from combat to law enforcement operations.

Security forces have arrested one MNLF straggler and killed nine others since Saturday, when officials declared the Zamboanga crisis over.

Zagala, however, could not tell how many followers of MNLF chairman Nur Misuari are still in the area.

“As we continue clearing, we will be able to get a clearer picture. Aside from stragglers, there are a lot of killed enemies in the battle area that we have to recover,” he said.

This developed as police troops involved in the clearing operations recovered at least 26 bodies of rebels in the area yesterday.

Huesca said the bodies of slain rebels were recovered inside the conflict zone in the clusters of burned houses and structures.

Huesca declined to give the exact location where the bodies were retrieved, saying the area remained critical due to the possible presence of stragglers.

Police said the bodies were in fatigue uniforms and already decomposing.

Huesca added the troops also recovered 165 unexploded ordnance of various types, including rifle grenade, hand grenades, and 40mm ammunition.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima said the situation in Zamboanga City is 96 percent normal with a still undetermined number of MNLF stragglers still hiding.

Purisima said the PNP is observing two aspects of clearing, with phase 1 as the effort to arrest MNLF rebels and phase 2 the checking block-by-block, house-to-house and room-to-room operations. – With Alexis Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Perseus Echeminada, John Unson