MILF rebs plunder villages

COTABATO CITY – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels raided villages in Maitum, Sarangani Wednesday and took more than P1 million worth of valuables, farm animals and machineries.

Maitum officials said hostilities erupted when MILF rebels showed force at the villages of Mindupok, Maguling and Ticulab and ordered residents to leave their homes as they fired their assault rifles overhead.

In a statement, Maitum Mayor Elsie Perrett said the rebels’ provocations escalated into clashes when they opened fire at soldiers sent to retrieve the body of a tanod whom they had disarmed and gunned down.

Relief workers said the hostilities forced more than 3,000 Muslim and Christian villagers to abandon their homes for fear of getting trapped in the crossfire. The evacuees are now housed in a public school near the town proper.

Authorities said the rebels have started withdrawing to the mountains of Maitum as government troops, backed by helicopter gunships, have launched a hot pursuit.

“It’s better for them to leave the area. We will not allow them to attack us again,” said Col. Gaudencio Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 1002nd Infantry Brigade based in Sarangani.

Officials of Barangay Maguling said the MILF rebels looted the abandoned houses of farm animals, machineries, motorcycles and other valuables. They did the same thing in Barangays Mindupok and Ticulab, they said.

“The rebels took with them more than P1 million worth of belongings, including money, jewelry and cattle,” a town official, who asked not to be identified, said in a text message to reporters.

Barangay Maguling chairman Remegio Rivac confirmed the looting in his village.

“It was just fortunate that they just looted houses and did not burn them,” an evacuee, who asked to be identified only as Karim, told reporters.

Local leaders said they want the joint ceasefire committee of the government and MILF to censure the marauding MILF guerrillas.

Evacuees identified the leaders of the attackers as MILF Commanders Mursod, Jakirih, Dante and a certain “511,” all belonging to the front’s 105th Base Command.      – With Ramil Bajo