Don't use cell phones, MILF tells commanders

DAVAO CITY – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders have been ordered to stop sending text messages or making calls on their cellular phones during encounters with government troops to prevent the military from monitoring local cell sites to track them down.

“Don’t use cell phones while in battle,” said a senior member of the general staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the MILF.

The military is using unmanned spy planes and monitoring cell sites to locate the position of the rebels.

MILF officials have directed their commanders to instead tap trusted couriers to relay messages.

Instead of being on the offensive, the MILF said their fighters have been on the defensive since the military knows their location and have been hitting them with intense mortar and artillery bombardment and air strikes.

Modern technology was employed to track rebel movement after President Arroyo ordered the capture of MILF commanders Ameril Ombra Kato, Abdul Rahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo, and Aleem Sulaiman Pangalian.

The three commanders were tagged in attacks on communities in Lanao del Norte, Sarangani and North Cotabato last year that left many civilians dead.