Malik is dead – Gazmin

MANILA, Philippines - Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin yesterday brushed aside the claims of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chief Nur Misuari that his top commander, Habier Malik, is still alive.

Gazmin said if Malik is alive, he should have come out to disprove the findings of the government that he was among the rebels killed by security forces in the Zamboanga siege last September.

The defense chief issued the statement at the sidelines of the awarding ceremony for soldiers who fought with the rebels in the Zamboanga crisis.

While Malik’s body was not among those recovered, by mere deduction it is clear that the top MNLF commander was among those killed in the firefight, according to Gazmin.

Government troops released a photograph of a dead rebel resembling Malik. Some sources said that the dead body was not Malik, but his son.