Psy war

Psychological warfare plays a huge part in modern warfare. With information available at the speed of light, information, or disinformation can both win or lose battles, even a war. Such tactics are not lost in the Zamboanga City attack by MNLF-Misuari gunmen. The AFP had their spokesperson, so did the MNLF-Misuari group. Both gave daily updates on the fighting, which is to be expected. But the difference lay in what they were feeding to the media, and eventually to the people. And all I could say is the difference was night and day.

In conflicts, it is always about numbers. The number of wounded, those killed in action, those missing in action or those taken prisoner. The AFP would have updates now and then as to the number of soldiers wounded or killed, the number of civilians killed, injured or rescued, and the number of enemy forces wounded or killed. What sets the AFP briefings from that of the MNLF-Misuari spokesperson were the numbers. If the numbers given by the MNLF-Misuari spokesperson were true, I believe the AFP would have been crippled in less than five days, and Zamboanga would have fallen by now.

I remember during the 2003 Iraqi War, Saddam Hussein had his information minister, Muhammad Saeed Al-Sahhaf, give out the daily updates as to how well the war was going for the Hussein regime. How many coalition forces were being killed and captured, how easily they were destroying or neutralizing the M1 Abrams tanks of the US, and how they were pushing back those who invaded Iraq. This was of course in stark contrast to the daily updates given by the coalition forces. They were the exact opposite of what the information minister, by that time already with the moniker "Comical Ali", was saying. Of course, he was just doing his job, on fear of death even. Which is why he was practically spared from the manhunt for others in Saddam's regime.

Of course, one would not necessarily believe one over the other, which is the goal of psychological warfare. Heavy casualties, or at least the perception of it deals a hard blow to the morale of the side supposedly receiving them, while the opposite is true for those whose numbers favor their side of the battle. Of course, the results reveal who was playing the psy war game, more often than not the losing side. In the case of the Zamboanga attacks, we now can say who was telling the truth. At least for the most part.

In the battlefield, nothing is more contagious and deadly than seeing fear in the flesh. In the old days where warfare was conducted like a game of chess, it was of utmost importance to "hold the line", or that row of soldiers standing to face the enemy. Once someone breaks formation and starts to run the opposite direction, that is when the line starts to falter, that's when the battle is half-won. Today, these lines could be information and disinformation, especially on the Internet where I understand a war of sorts was also taking place between the AFP and the MNLF-Misuari. Imagine that. A war on every conceivable front.

I am just glad that the conflict in Zamboanga is winding down with the defeat of the terrorists. Normalcy is slowly coming back to this economic hub in the south. It is hoped that the government learn from all this. As for the MNLF-Misuari group, they have to answer for their actions. They have to pay.

They must.