AFP warns of fresh fighting in Midsayap

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato — Guns have been silent here in the past 24 hours, but the military said fighting may erupt again if Moro rebels who attacked several barangays last week would not return to their enclaves near Maguindanao in the next three days.

Maj. Gen. Nehemias Pajarito, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told officials of the joint ceasefire committee and representatives of the Malaysian-led international monitoring team during a brief meeting here, that hostilities could only be prevented if combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would retreat to the southern part of Midsayap, across the Pulangi River.

The Pulangi River traverses dozens of barangays at the boundary of Midsayap and the Maguindanao towns of Kabuntalan and Datu Piang.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the 6th ID, said tension has subsided in Barangay Tugal here, scene of running firefights between soldiers and MILF rebels last Friday.

A member of the Army’s 40th Infantry Battalion was killed while another was wounded in the skirmishes.

Ando said their clearing operation in Barangay Tugal was merely a police action, aimed at driving away MILF rebels to enable the evacuees to return to their homes.

"Another concern of the 6th ID is the reported setting up of roadblocks by MILF rebels along portions of the highway connecting Midsayap and Datu Piang," he said.

Ando said hundreds of rebels from Maguindanao, led by radical commanders implicated in recent bombings in Central Mindanao, showed force along stretches of the highway, forcing residents to flee their homes.

Ando said their division commander has asked local officials to convince the rebels to leave the highway and return to their enclaves.

"There are indications they will comply, apparently afraid of more Army preemptive strikes," he said.