Philippine Military on alert for 2 Malaysian bomb experts

Military forces in Mindanao raised their alert level following reports on the alleged presence of two Malaysian bomb experts out to train local terrorists.

Intelligence reports circulating in Cagayan de Oro said the Malaysians are in addition to four Jemaah Islamiyah members – three Indonesians and one Singaporean – in the region engaged in training the Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Central Mindanao.

The report said a foreign terrorist and 10 BIFF members were targeting Cagayan de Oro for bombing.
The BIFF had earlier threatened to bomb key areas in Mindanao and Manila after it suffered heavy casualties from last week’s firefights with government forces in Central Mindanao. Some 50 BIFF members were reportedly killed in the armed conflict.

The reports named the Singaporean as Mawiya Husayfa who carries a $1-million bounty on his head, and the other three as Abdul Kiram, Mujair Algozi and Basit Usman, whose bounty was placed at $10 million.   

Article Source: Philippine Star

NPA bombs recovered in Southern Philippines

Army officials said troops have recovered dozens of landmines and various materials used in the manufacture of improvised explosives in the southern Philippines.
Officials linked the explosives to the communist rebel group New People’s Army in Loreto town in Agusan del Sur province. The cache of landmines was discovered by civilians in the village of Mansanitas, according to Capt. Alberto Caber, a spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command.
Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, the Eastern Mindanao Command chief, praised the bravery of the civilians who informed the military about the explosives.
“We thank our people for their cooperation. Our soldiers are always ready to respond anywhere and whenever needed. If the NPA is sincere about peace, they must stop manufacturing landmines as these kill people and destroy properties,” Cruz said.
He said the discovery came a day after two NPA rebels - Robert Daging and Abet Guinson – surrendered to the 36th Infantry Battalion in Carmen town in the province of Surigao del Sur.
The duo also handed over two automatic rifles. The NPA has been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. 

Article Source: Mindanao Examiner

9 gov't troopers wounded in Agusan del Sur firefight

Nine government troopers were wounded during a clash with New People's Army (NPA) fighters in Barangay Balit, San Luis town, Agusan del Sur before dawn Thursday.

Capt. Christian Uy, Philippine Army's 4th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the incident took place at around 1:50 a.m.

He added that troopers from the 26th Infantry Battalion and the PNP's Agusan del Sur Public Safety Company were on their way home after serving an arrest warrant for Nelson Lugpatan Campos, a resident of Sitio Kipuyag, Barangay San Pedro, when they were fired upon by seven NPA fighters.
The exchange of gunfire lasted for 45 minutes and resulted in the wounding of seven soldiers, one PNP operative and a militiaman.

There were no immediate reports on rebel casualties as the NPAs quickly fled.


Pursuit operations are now ongoing. 

Article Source: PNA

3 NPA rebels surrender to military forces in Davao del Sur

Three New People’s Army fighters voluntarily surrendered to the 39th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army in Bansalan, Davao del Sur Friday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the rebels also surrendered three high-powered firearms consisting of one M-14 automatic rifle and two M-16 rifles.

The surrenderees are all active members of the NPA’s Front 51, SMRC operating in the areas of Davao del Sur and Makilala, North Cotabato.

Zagala said that the three are now undergoing custodial debriefing at the 39th Infantry Battalion headquarters in Barangay Tuban, Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur.

He added that the surrendered rebels requested that the AFP withhold their identities for fear of retaliation by their former comrades in the NPA.

On the other hand, the military sees the surrender as an act of progress, knowing that not all members of the NPAs believe in their leaders’ hard-line stance on armed violence as means to achieve their goals.


"Their reasons for joining the communist movement might have been legitimate ones but after almost two decades of armed struggle, they have not realized that joining a group which causes only violence against our people isn't the answer," Zagala stressed.

Article Source: PNA

Abu Sayyaf attacks Basilan village after assault on its leaders

The Abu Sayyaf attacked a coastal village in Basilan at noon yesterday in an apparent retaliation for last Sunday’s helicopter and naval assault on its leaders led by Nurhassan Jamiri in the outskirts of Al Barka town.

The Abu Sayyaf militants, however, withdrew after heavy fighting with civilian volunteers, reinforced by elements of the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion, in Barangay Matata, Ungkaya Pukan town.

“The civilian volunteers and Army elements from the Alpha Company repulsed the retaliatory attack aimed at relieving military pressure against the band of Jamiri in nearby Al Barka,” Lt. Col. John Paolo Perez, 18th IB commander, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Last Sunday, intelligence operatives of the 18th IB sighted 11 Abu Sayyaf leaders and members in Barangay Cambog, Al Barka town aboard five motorcycles while heading toward Barangay Bato-Bato.

The group proceeded to the Kalang Sibubong sand bar, a kilometer southwest of Barangay Bato-Bato, where their presence was subsequently confirmed by *** *** intelligence agents disguised as ****.

But before an M520 attack helicopter could conduct an air assault, Jamiri and his men were able to break into two groups and quickly fled aboard two motorized pump boats.

The attack helicopter, however, hit one of the pump boats, but its passengers were able to jump out and swam toward a mangrove area in Barangay Cambog, an area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Perez said they believe Jamiri was wounded.

Article Source: The Philippine Star

AFP receives report Malik dead

The military has received reports that Habier Malik, the ground commander of the group from the Moro National Liberation Front that launched an attack on Zamboanga City last September, is dead.

Colonel Jose Johriel Cenabre, Commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade based in Sulu, said that they have reports that Malik died of complications from diabetes.

“He was badly wounded…he was trying to fast. He did not get proper treatment,” he told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.

He said the information was still for validation.

Malik, the most trusted commander of MNLF leader Nur Misuari, reportedly died in Sulu.

He was also last spotted alive in Kalingalan Caluang in Sulu.

A previous news report quoted MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza as saying that Malik died three weeks ago. His wounds from the three-week gunbattle did not heal due to diabetes.

Article Source

9 Moro rebels killed in series of clashes - Army

At least nine Moro guerillas were killed in a series of clashes with government forces in the borders of North Cotabato and Maguindanao since December 31, the Army here reported Friday.

Capt. Antonio Bulao, spokesperson of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, said the latest fatalities were two Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, who were killed on January 1 during a rebel attack on a paramilitary outpost in Barangay Nabalawag in Pikit, North Cotabato.

“Our forces retaliated from sniper shots fired from the BIFF side, killing two of the attackers,” Bulao said.

A soldier was wounded in the 20-minute firefight that ensued, he added.

On Thursday, seven rebels were also killed during a clash with soldiers in Barangay Paidu Pulangi, also in Pikit, according to Bulao.

“They keep on harassing our forces,” Bulao said of the recent activities involving the breakaway Moro Islamic Liberation Front faction.

Article Source

Terrorist bombed church, 7 dead

Seven people were killed while five others were injured when a bomb exploded near a church in Sumisip, Basilan on Tuesday.

Police said the explosion occurred near the Vincent Ferrer parish church where most of the victims had attended mass.

The casualties were identified as Rey Limbin, Elbert Gomoba, Kitarul Kaddik, Leniebel Cisneros, Lourdes Ablong and Badjon Gomoba. The seventh victim, Therese Claire Alegarbes, died on the way to a hospital.

The wounded were identified as Janice Alegarbes, mother of one of the fatalities; Trining and Jessa Dingcong, and Ronel and Samson Limben. They were brought to the Zamboanga City Medical Center for treatment.

Police said the victims had just emerged from the church to attend a New Year’s Eve celebration nearby in front of the house of Manuel Cisneros, a militiaman of Sitio Fine Tree, Barangay Tumahubong when the improvised explosive device exploded at 9:47 p.m.

Police said the bomb was placed inside a bag that was left under a chair.

The military, on the other hand, reported that a grenade was used in the attack.

Military bomb experts went to the scene and concluded that the explosion was caused by a grenade.

“Five died instantly while two others expired later,” said Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Armed Forces Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief.

Zagala added the grenade blast was further aggravated by broken bottles where the explosion occurred.

Authorities suspect the Abu Sayyaf was behind the attack.

The victims were among the cooperative plantation workers in the village where Abu Sayyaf bandits have been staging attacks for extortion.

There were also reports of squabbles between armed groups and officials of the cooperative overseeing the operations of a 4,000-hectare rubber plantation in the area.

Barangay officials said there were indications that the victims knew the bomber.

“Accordingly, the suspect, who arrived carrying the bag containing the improvised explosive, was even served food by some of the victims. The bomb exploded after the suspect left,” a barangay official told  The STAR.

Senseless killing

Malacañang condemned “the senseless killing,” saying security and law enforcement authorities had been directed to pursue and arrest the perpetrators.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Mujiv Hataman said they had given financial  assistance to the victims and shouldered funeral costs of those who died.

Source Article

AFP expects more provinces with NPA to normalize

The military expects more areas grappling with communist insurgency to undergo 'normalization' this year and vowed to work closely with civilians to make it possible.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said once a province is declared normalized, the lead role of maintaining peace and security would be transferred from the military to local governments.

He said an area has undergone normalization if local governments and other civilian stakeholders are already active in addressing the causes of rebellion and if insurgency has weakened due to such efforts.

“The root causes of insurgency should be solved not by the military alone but by everyone,” he said.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), however, refuted this outlook and even claimed that the military’s security plan Bayanihan has failed.

“As 2013 ends, we can conclusively declare the defeat of the Aquino regime’s Oplan Bayanihan which failed in its declared aim of reducing the armed strength of the New People’s Army (NPA) to inconsequentiality by the middle of this year,” CPP said in a statement.

The CPP said its fighters would continue to “undertake more frequent tactical offensives.”

“This year, every NPA command must gun for a record increase in the number of weapons seized from the reactionary military, paramilitary and police forces,” the group said.

Bayanihan, which took effect in 2011, seeks to end insurgency by curbing its roots like poverty and lack of access to basic services.

The first three years of the implementation of the security plan will focus on addressing internal armed threat groups.

The final three years of Bayanihan, which starts this year, will be devoted to handing over the lead role in ensuring internal peace and security to civilian government agencies. Such turnover will allow the military to focus on its transition towards territorial defense. 

Zagala believes the military would be able to accomplish the requirements in the security plan.

“We’re optimistic that we will be able to make it,” Zagala said. 

“They (rebels) are against our way of life, our democracy, our freedoms and institutions. We should cherish them by protecting them and we can do so by finding solutions in our own way,” he added.

He said 29 of 81 provinces have undergone normalization due to the military’s anti-insurgency campaigns.

These are Cavite, Marinduque, Romblon, Guimaras, Cebu, Siquijor, Biliran, Bohol, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Aklan, Antique, Eastern Samar, Apayao, La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Kalinga, Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Benguet, Batanes, Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, Saranggani and Davao Oriental.

The CPP, however, claimed that the mass struggle against the government would intensify this year due to supposed worsening economic conditions and corruption.

Source Article

Abu Sayyaf leader killed in Sulu operation

A senior Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader who tried to resist arrest in Sitio Luwas, Barangay Nuknukan, Parang town, was killed in a shootout on Monday with operatives of the Sulu Provincial Police.

The slain ASG leader was identified as Fraser Hajan.

The encounter between authorities and the ASG leader took place around 1:15 a.m.
Police were out to arrest the suspect based on the two arrest warrants issued by Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 46 Presiding Judge Erlinda Uy.

Hajan is wanted for several counts of kidnapping and other crimes.

Instead of cooperating with authorities, the suspect fired at the arresting police, prompting the latter to retaliate and resulted in the wounding of Hajan, who later died while being rushed at a local hospital.


Recovered from the suspect was a .45 caliber pistol, two magazines with 14 rounds of ammunition, a Nokia RM-55 cellphone, spy camera, four hearing aids and suspected Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) documents.

Source

Rebels attack military detachments in Sorsogon

Members of the New People's Army attacked two military detachments in Sorsogon on Saturday, hours after the Yuletide ceasefire with the rebels took effect.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan said the rebel attacks in Casiguran and Gubat towns occurred Saturday dawn, shortly after government forces began observing the 26-day Suspension of Offensive Military Operations (SOMO).

“They opened fire on our detachments, knowing that we are not on offensive operations. We returned fire and they withdrew,” Tutaan said.

There were no reported injuries or deaths from the government side during the encounter. Tutaan added that government troops were not able to determine if there were casualties inflicted on the rebels who withdrew.

The government truce was announced by Malacanang officials last Friday, shortly after the military commemorated its 78th foundation anniversary. The government truce is shorter compared to last year’s SOMO which lasted from December 16 to January 15.

The NPA will be observing their holiday truce on December 24, 25, 26, 31, January 1 and 2.

Tutaan believes that the rebels are taunting the soldiers to launch offensive military operations so that they can be charged of violating the SOMO.

He added that the military is bent on implementing the truce despite the rebel attacks.

Tutaan chastised the rebels for not including the civilians in their upcoming ceasefire. He noted that the rebel truce is limited only to government troops, which means that they can still attack civilian targets.

“Look at what they declared, it's only against the military and the police but they are not saying they are not going to harass civilian (targets). It's because this is where they earn money,” the official said.

The NPA is known to harass companies and other civilians if they fail to pay revolutionary "tax."

Tutaan assured that government troops will exert efforts to ensure the safety of the civilians during the ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the Philippines criticized AFP chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista for ridiculing the six-day rebel truce.

Bautista said Thursday that the rebel truce was too short as he proposed that the NPA should implement a ceasefire that last "forever" to stop the suffering of the people affected by the insurgency.

“To declare a ceasefire ‘to last forever’ will only bring forth an eternal hell of military abuses, land-grabbing and environmental destruction,” the CPP said in a statement.

“General Bautista’s proposals are moronic, to say the least. Such thoughtless remarks reflect the AFP’s inability to understand the deep-seated reasons behind the Filipino people’s armed resistance and view the civil war only from the myopic perspective of a one track-minded fascist,” the CPP added.

The CPP also said the peasants, the fisherfolk and the minority indigenous people will be affected once they agree to a long-lasting ceasefire.

“To muzzle the guns of the NPA is to surrender the schools, the clinics, the farms and the peace which the peasant masses have established through their new democratic government that has been built on the people’s collective strength,” it said.

“Where the Aquino regime and the reactionary state and its armed forces are weak and practically non-existent, organs of the people’s democratic government are being established to serve the interests of the poor peasants, indigenous peoples and fisherfolk,” the CPP added.

Source

Nur forces massing in Cotabato

THE Philippine Army units is keeping an eye on about 200 Moro National Liberation Front fighters who were massing at a village of Midsayap, Cotabato on Monday.

The group was spotted gathering at the remote village as factions within the MNLF sought to replace its founding chairman Nur Misuari as the sole representative of the Bangsamoro people in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The Aquino administration said it would prefer a leader of the Moro National Liberation Front who can “push forward the peace agenda” amid efforts from within the MNLF to replace its founding chairman, Nur Misuari, as the sole representative of the Bangsamoro people in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

“We would like to work with people who can push forward the peace agenda and the reform agenda of the MNLF,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said as he bared that the Aquino administration would prefer a leader of the MNLF who could “push forward the peace agenda.”

Lacierda made the remark at a Palace briefing a day after the OIC rebuked Misuari for masterminding a three-week hostage siege in Zamboanga City last September.

Read More Here

NPA bandits kill a militiaman, injure 4 including a non-combatant in Northern Samar

Another innocent civilian was shot and wounded by NPA bandits who attacked a gathering of people attended by members of the 8th Infantry Division's Peace and Development Team (PDT) in Northern Samar at 12:00nn on Tuesday, Feb 12.

 

The attack occured while the soldiers were conducting 'pulong-pulong' (dialogue) with local residents of Guindaluan village, Rosario town. 

 

Three people were wounded including a local resident named Raul Estellero, of Brgy 3 of the said town.

A militiaman was also killed while three other military personnel were  hurt during the brief firefight which ensued. 

 

Lt Col. Noel Vestuir, the Commanding Officer of the 20th Infantry Battalion identified the wounded soldiers as  Ssg Dionald Opilanda and Sgt Arnold Miranda,  and militiaman Jonar Estellero.

The name of the dead militiaman was not released pending notification of his nearest kin.

 

The NPA bandits have recorded a growing number of human rights violations such as attacking non-combatants and abducting innocent civilians.

 

In January 2013, eight civilians were massacred by NPA bandits in La Castellana town in Negros Occidental.

 

The NPA bandits have also masterminded extrajudicial killings all over the archipelago, victimizing state forces and civilians who were accused of supporting the military.

 

As the communist armed group insist to use armed violence, more innocent people will fall victims to their atrocities. 

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February 13, 2012 | Article Link

Army repels Abu Sayyaf attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Abu Sayyaf militants attacked a military detachment in Sumisip town, Basilan but were repelled by government troops, a military official said.

The Abu Sayyaf militants led by Kumander Botong Aleman fired on the army detachment Monday about 9:20 a.m. at Barangay Candiis, triggering heavy exchange of firepower.

Capt. Alberto Caber, public affairs chief of the 1st Infantry Division (ID), said troops from the 64th Infantry Battalion and the Special Forces Team 1405 retaliated and repelled the militants.

He said the troops also unleashed rounds of mortar fire toward the position of the Abu Sayyaf group prompting the attacking militants to retreat in the deep forest.

Caber said no one was killed on the government troops' side during the attack.

“The soldiers have successfully defended the camp, which had been subjected to attacks for five times already by the Abu Sayyaf group,” Caber said.

Major Gen. Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, 1st ID chief, commended the troops in defending the detachment and ordered the soldiers to continue its Bayanihan works in Sumisip, Basilan to defeat the scourge of terrorism spawned by the Abu sayyaf group.

“The successful defense of the detachment by our foot soldiers is a pledge that our army is sincere and not tired in protecting the mixed Muslim-Christian community against rogue elements in Basilan.”

Caber said the attack revealed plans of the Abu Sayyaf group to regain possession of the area where the detachment was established.

“Evidently, the location served as the former militants’ observation post to provide them great tactical advantage in the area against government troops,” Caber said.

The military troops overrun the area in an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and the lost command Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) late last year after intelligence information revealed the group used the area as their planning and staging point against the civilians and military forces. 

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Roel Pareño | The Philippine Star | September 18, 2012 | Article Link

Philippine Army captures Maguindanao BIFM camp, hospital

Government troops seized two more Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement camps, one of which was a hospital where the ailing BIFM leader Ameril Umbra Kato was reportedly previously taken.

 

According to Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, the hospital is located in Maguindanao province’s Datu Hoffer town.

 

The first BIFM camp was captured Saturday morning by troops from the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion after a heavy military bombardment. The camp could accommodate 100 people and has 10 bunkers with overhead protection, said Army spokesman Maj. Harold Cabunoc.

 

“Several war materials and personal belongings were left behind by the rebels who hastily fled with numerous casualties when the artillery bombardments began,” said Cabunoc, quoting 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion commander Lt. Col. Ignatius Patrimonio.

 

Meanwhile, Asto said the camp, which also serves as a training ground for BIFM fighters, was seized with minor enemy resistance. The Rangers recovered Korans in a lecture room.

 

Sunday morning, Asto said the soldiers seized the second satellite camp which he said had bunkers and running trenches.

 

“It’s their camp where their hospital is located,” said Asto.  The troops seized medicines and a wheelchair believed to have been used by Kato, who suffered a stroke last December.

 

Citing an intelligence report, Asto said Kato, a former leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, was brought to the hospital last Aug. 6 and left a day later. He said intelligence agents are tracking Kato.

 

“He was not in the area; he was not in the camp. He is probably in the communities,” said Asto of Kato, who established the BIFM last year due to differences with the MILF leadership.

 

Including this latest capture of the two camps, the military has seized five rebel lairs since they mounted an offensive against the BIFM August 5.

 

The offensive began after the rebels attacked 10 military installations in Maguindanao, including the headquarters of the 1st Mechanized Brigade.

 

Military officials claimed that at least 50 BIFM fighters have been killed since the fighting broke out. On the other hand, four soldiers and a policeman died and several soldiers were wounded in the skirmishes.

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GMA News Online | August 20, 2012 | Article Link

Philippine Army kills 2 NPA fighters in Albay clash

Two New People’s Army rebels were killed in a firefight with government troops in Albay Saturday, reported Army 9th Infantry Division spokesman Maj. Angelo Guzman Sunday. 

 

He related that soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division were deployed at the outskirts of Camalig town after receiving information from a resident about the rebels’ presence.

 

“(The soldiers) responded to an information from a local folk about the presence of 10 NPAs in their village doing some recruitment efforts, disinformation drives and extortion,” said Guzman.

 

At around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Guzman said that an army squad (about nine soldiers) caught up with the rebels.

 

Citing a report from the 2nd IB commander Lt. Col. Audrey Pasia, Guzman said, “Though outnumbered, they were able to outmaneuver the rebels and gave them a big blow.”

 

Guzman named the slain rebels as Arboy Moina and Fernando Mostoles Jr. Their remains were turned over to the police.

 

Guzman added that government soldiers, backed by K9 tracking dogs, have been deployed to conduct pursuit operations against the fleeing rebels.

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GMA News Online | August 20, 2012 | Article Link

Basilan clash kills soldier, injures 3 others

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanews/15 August) – A soldier was killed while three others were wounded in a clash Wednesday with suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in the province of Basilan, a military official said.

Col. Charlie Galvez, commander of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade, said the soldiers were conducting clearing operations when they clashed with some 35 Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Juhaibel Alamsirul alias Abu Kik at around 8:45 a.m. in the boundary of Barangays Baiwas and Pamatsaken, Sumisip municipality.

The clearing operation was to pave the way for a resupply mission to a Scout Ranger jungle base in Barangay Baiwas, Galvez added.

He said the firefight lasted for about 30 minutes that resulted to the death of one soldier and the wounding of three others, all belonging to the 20th Scout Ranger Company of the 4th Scout Ranger Battalion.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits, who fled to the hinterlands, were also believed to have suffered casualties, he said.

About two hours later, combined police and military forces arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf bandit, who was allegedly involved in the abduction of 35 people on August 2, 2001 in Barangay Balolobo, Lamitan City, Basilan.

The police said Jaddatal Aling Bakulan alias Abu Jal, who has a standing warrant of arrest for massacre and kidnapping and serious illegal detention, was arrested at around 10:35 a.m. in Barangay Limook in Lamitan.

Bakulan was arrested while driving a motorcycle in a checkpoint manned by combined policemen and soldiers, the police said.

On August 2, 2011, Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted around 35 people, including children, when they raided Barangay Balobo, Lamitan.

Eleven of the 35 hostages were beheaded while the rest were freed or had managed to escape during clashes with the pursuing soldiers. 

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MindaNews | August 16, 2012 | Article Link

5 Maguindanao mayors face raps for alleged support to BIFF

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/14 August) — Administrative charges will be filed against five town mayors in Maguindanao for their alleged support to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement who staged attacks against Army detachments along a major highway last week.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said the mayors will also be investigated for abandoning their posts when BIFF rebels attack their towns along the Cotabato-Isulan highway.

The five mayors were identified as Mayor Datu Saudi Sheam Ampatuan of Saudi Ampatuan town, Mayor Bai Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan of Datu Hoffer town, Mayor Bai Reshal Santiago Ampatuan of Datu Unsay, Mayor Bai Zandra Sinsuat Ampatuan of Saydona town, and Vice Mayor Kanor Ampatuan of Salibo town who replaced Akmad Ampatuan who has gone into hiding after being implicated in the 2009 Ampatuan massacre.

All of the five mayors did not show up at the meeting yesterday called by Robredo at the North Cotabato provincial capitol in Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City.

Robredo said the Maguindanao provincial government led by Gov. Toto Magugundatu will take the lead in the investigation of administrative cases against the mayors.

“We do not want to be seen that this is a political vendetta but provincial governments have their machinery in investigating administrative cases against erring elected officials,” Robredo said.

He said their investigation will focus on the whereabouts of the town mayors during the attacks by BIFF rebels.

“We are also interested whether they gave financial support to the rebels,” the secretary said.

Army officials said they were surprised that the BIFF rebels who launched simultaneous attacks on Army detachments last week were well-equipped.

“They could have good logistic support from somewhere in order to stage that attacks almost simultaneously,” Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesperson of the 6th Infantry Division said.

Von Al Haq, spokesperson of the MILF  Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, estimated the BIFF had about 200-300 fighters when its leader Umbra Karo broke ties with them last year. 

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Froilan Gallardo | MindaNews | August 14, 2012 | Article Link

50 killed as soldiers overrun rogue Moro rebels’ camp in Maguindanao

A BARRAGE of fire from 105mm howitzers backed by Air Force helicopter gunships and followed by ground assault resulted in the flushing out of rogue Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) fighters in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao, Maj. Gen. Rey Ardo, 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division commander, said on Wednesday.

Ardo said the whole-day assault was completed late Tuesday afternoon after the troops captured Hills 166 and 714, former communities of the Teduray tribe that the rebels turned into a training ground for young recruits.

“Our estimate is more than 50 of them [gunmen] have been killed and more than 20 were wounded,” Col. Mayoralgo de la Cruz, commander of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Brigade, said.

De la Cruz said the death of 27 has been confirmed.

No casualties were reported on the government side.

De la Cruz said at least 20 gunmen were also confirmed wounded. 

The BIFM is led by Ameril Umbra kato, former commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who was expelled from the organization last year for rejecting the prospect of having a peace agreement with the government.

Earlier, Ardo agreed with the peace panels of the government and the MILF that tagged Umbra kato and his followers “spoilers” of peace in Mindanao.

“We’re coordinating now with the local government of Datu Hoffer and other government agencies, such as the agriculture department, on how to take care of those places to prevent the return of these rogue fighters of the BIFM,” Ardo said.

The MILF earlier condemned Umbra kato and his men for sowing violence in Maguindanao. The front believes that Umbra kato’s attacks were meant to frustrate the peace negotiations.

“However, we do not know what they get from this offensive.... Did they ably project their martial prowess? The answer is no. They are only confined in the small corner of the province. So, what did they gain, if ever? Nothing, except putting in the consciousness of people that they are still there, alive and kicking. But in exchange, their safe haven is now [a] free-fire zone,” the MILF said in its editorial at its web site www.luwaran.com.

The rogue fighters were operating in the fringes of the MILF’s Camp Omar.

Umbra kato himself is facing a string of criminal cases before different courts for his involvement in the violent attacks against government forces and civilian communities in Central Mindanao in 2008 after the Supreme Court junked the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Ardo said efforts were also being done to convince the Teduray tribe to return to its original abode in order to develop the lands.

Lt. Col. Prudencio Asto, Ardo’s spokesman, said soldiers continue to mount offensives against the beleaguered fighters to totally flush them out from the area.

“With the capture of Hill 166 and Hill 714, farmers nearby can now grow their crops without fear of attacks from the bandits,” Asto said.

More than 10 people have been killed since the BIFM mounted attacks that started in August against military and police detachments and/or outposts in at least five towns in the province.

Director General Nicanor Bartolome, National Police chief, sent several teams from the Special Action Force  to help the military pound Umbra kato’s men. 

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Zaff Solmerin | BusinessMirror.Com.Ph | August 15, 2012 | Article Link

Army captures BIFF base in Maguindanao

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao, Aug. 14 (PNA) -- The military here announced the capture on Tuesday afternoon of a major camp of renegade Moro rebels who launched atrocities in Maguindanao that left at least 28 people dead and thousands of people displaced. 

Colonel Prudencio Asto, chief of the 6th Infantry Division public affairs office, said elements of the 6th ID and the 601st Infantry Brigade, backed by helicopter gunships and artillery fires captured at 3 p.m. Tuesday Hill 714 in Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao. 

Asto would not say how many Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed following the air strikes and ground assaults, but he stressed no casualty was reported on government side. 

"The hill served as the command and control point and stronghold of the BIFF," Asto said.
According to Asto, the camp used to be the staging point for the BIFF bandits in planning their atrocities against soldiers and civilians in nearby communities. 

"The 6ID is now securing the hill to prevent members of BIFF lawless group from recovering their lost ground," he said. 

He said on orders of Maj. Gen. Rey Ardo, 6th Infantry Division commander the military is is now coordinating with the local government units, the Department of Agriculture and other line government agencies for the development of the former bandits’ enclave. 

With the capture of Hill 714, farmers nearby can now grow their crops without fear of attacks from the bandits. 

Claiming they wanted to avenge the death of a comrade last June 23, the BIFF, numbering about 500, launched simultaneous attacks in Maguindanao's seven municipalities, attacking Army and para military detachments. 

The atrocities led to the death of six soldiers, four civilians and more than 20 BIFF fighters, according to Asto. 

About 30,000 civilians have been displaced and portions of the highway linking Cotabato and Gen. Santos had been closed for five days until it was reopened for public use last Friday. 

Asto said sporadic fighting is still ongoing as BIFF forces still continue to fire at and harass Army installations in the towns of Datu Saudi, Datu Unsay, Datu Hoffer, Datu Piang, Shariff Aguak and Ampatuan.

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Philippine News Agency | August 14, 2012 | Article Link