MILF filing complaint vs Army over Lanao 'attack'

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said it will file a complaint against the Philippine Army for allegedly attacking its troops in Lanao del Norte last Saturday despite an existing ceasefire agreement.

“The MILF ceasefire committee conveyed that it is already preparing its formal complaint against the government for violating the truce due to this attack on the MILF troops and civilians, and on the arbitrary arrest of a civilian by government soldiers,” the MILF said in a statement on its website luwaran.com.

On Saturday, Col. Leo Ferrer, commander of the Army 601st Infantry Brigade, said “lawless elements” led by a certain Commander Latip ambushed a platoon of the 35th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Payong in Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte.

Ferrer said one of the soldiers, Cpl. Timhar Abdulkasim, was wounded after the encounter with some 40 armed men. He said the armed group suffered several casualties.

“According to credible sources, Latip is an extortionist and has a string of criminal cases. Likewise, Barangay Payong is a known hiding area of kidnappers from Zamboanga del Sur,” Ferrer said in a text message.

“The blatant display of firearms by the group of Latip is a violation of the Comelec (Commission on Elections) gun ban,” he added.

The MILF, however, denied that its men ambushed the state troops, claiming that it was the Army that initiated the attack against Latip’s group.