By: Jocelyn Uy
THE GOVERNMENT WOULD
not have suffered heavy losses
in its latest offensive against the
Abu Sayyaf bandits if Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF)
guerrillas-who were supposed to be observing a ceasefire-
had not ambushed the
government troops, the military
said yesterday.
Eighteen of the 23 soldiers
who died in Wednesday's day-long
gun battle were not operating
against the MILF but were on their way to reinforce soldiers
caught in heavy fighting
with the Abu Sayyaf in Tipo-
Tipo, Basilan, a military
. spokesperson said.
"The Marines were going to
rescue their comrades who
were already being attacked in the Abu Sayyaf camp but they
were ambushed by members of
the MILF," Lt. Col. Romeo
Brawner Jr. told the INQUIRER
over the phone yesterday.
Brawner said the MILF fighters
still proceeded with their attack-which took place outside
the Abu Sayyaf camp in
Barangay Silangkum-even if
they knew they were not the
target of the operation and
that a suspension of military
operations had been agreed
upon between them and the
military.
Brawner said the Armed
Forces was set to file a formal
protest with the Coordinating
Committee on Cessation of
Hostilities against the MILF's
114th base command fat violating
the ceasefire.
Mutual agreement
"We would like to note that
this operation was intelligence-
driven and target-specific
and we did this in order to
reduce the number of collateral
casualties," Brawner said in
a separate talk with reporters
at Camp Aguinaldo.
Upon the orders of Malacanang,
the military had suspended
combat operations
against the MILF and placed its
troops in Mindanao on an "active
defense mode" since July
24 to pave the way for the resumption
of stalled peace
talks.
Two days after the government
halted its operations,
MILF chair Murad Ebrahim returned
the gesture and also ordered the suspension of military
actions (Soma) in all areas
where the MILF has fighters.
In Wednesday's clashes,
which raged until nighttime,
the military said that from 30
to 40 Abu Sayyaf bandits were
killed, but that it had counted
only 21 bodies.
Of the number, 10 of them
were believed members of the
MILF.
Naval blockade
A spokesperson for the MILF,
Eid Kabalu, confirmed 10 MILF
fighters were killed and accused
the military of triggering
the fight by entering into MILF
territory without seeking permission.
This was denied by Brig.
Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western
Command chief, who said the
military had sent prior notice
to the MILE
In the wake of Wednesday's
fighting, the military has ordered
pursuit operations
against the Abu Sayyaf and a
"naval blockade" or "naval barrier
patrol" in the seas surrounding
Basilan to prevent
the bandit group from escaping
to other islands, Brawner
said.
He said members of the
group might try to escape to
neighboring Sulu island or
even to Zamboanga City.
Navy spokesperson Lt. Col.
Edgard Arevalo said at least
three patrol gunboats, three
multipurpose attack seacraft
and another vessel had been
sent to the area for the blockade.
Isolated case
Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process Avelino Razon
Jr. said the involvement of
some MILF fighters in the gun
battle was an "isolated case"
and would not in anyway affect
the upcoming peace talks.
Razon is looking forward to
the resumption of talks in
Malaysia soon between the
government panel, headed by
Ambassador Rafael E. Seguis,
and the MILF panel, led by Mohagher
Iqbal.
During Wednesday's fighting,
the Army's First Light Reaction
Company recovered
various high-powered
weapons, a "sizeable number"
of improvised explosive
devices, and bomb-making
equipment and components
from the Abu Sayyaf camp,
the Army said.
Among the recovered items
were four light machine guns,
four M-14 rifles, five M203
grenade launchers, two rocket propelled grenades, five M-16
rifles (two of them fitted with
scopes), a "Baby Armalite"
with an M203 grenade launcher,
five Minimi squad automatic
weapons and five cellular
phones, Army spokesperson Lt.
Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.
Need for talks questioned
In Baguio City, Sen. Rodolfo
Biazon called for a "recalculation"
of the government's position
on the peace talks with the
MILE
Biazon, a former chief of
staff of the Armed Forces, also
wanted Malaysia, who had
been acting as a broker, out of
the negotiating table.
"Is the resumption of the
peace talks between the government
and the MILF still necessary?
Are we still going to
pursue in the format followed
in the past or should we recalculate
our position?" Biazon
asked.
He said the government
should also look into the impact
of the Somo.
If there is a resumption of
peace talks, Biazon said
Malaysia should no longer be a
mediator.
"We have conflicts of interest
with Malaysia," said Biazon,
chair of the Senate committee
on national defense and security.
He said among these are the
disputes on the ownership of Sabah and parts of the oil-rich
Spratly Islands.
Abu, MILF together?
Biazon said the government
should also study what went
wrong in Basilan.
"Why did this happen? Why
are there more casualties in the
government than the enemy?"
he asked.
Biazon also said that investigation
should be launched on
the role of the MILF in the
fighting.
"Is it just the Abu Sayyaf or
the MILF or the two together?"
he asked.
PNP backs AFP
Elite troops of the Philippine
National Police (PNP), such as
those from the Special Action
Force, the Regional Mobile
Group and the Provincial Mobile
Group, are backing the
military in its pursuit of the
Abu Sayyaf bandits.
"They are in strategic locations
where they (are) deployed
per request of the lead
elements from the military,"
PNP spokesperson Senior Supt.
Leonardo Espina said.
The PNP suffered one
wounded in Wednesday's
fighting, P02 Dennis Labrador
of SAF.
not have suffered heavy losses
in its latest offensive against the
Abu Sayyaf bandits if Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF)
guerrillas-who were supposed to be observing a ceasefire-
had not ambushed the
government troops, the military
said yesterday.
Eighteen of the 23 soldiers
who died in Wednesday's day-long
gun battle were not operating
against the MILF but were on their way to reinforce soldiers
caught in heavy fighting
with the Abu Sayyaf in Tipo-
Tipo, Basilan, a military
. spokesperson said.
"The Marines were going to
rescue their comrades who
were already being attacked in the Abu Sayyaf camp but they
were ambushed by members of
the MILF," Lt. Col. Romeo
Brawner Jr. told the INQUIRER
over the phone yesterday.
Brawner said the MILF fighters
still proceeded with their attack-which took place outside
the Abu Sayyaf camp in
Barangay Silangkum-even if
they knew they were not the
target of the operation and
that a suspension of military
operations had been agreed
upon between them and the
military.
Brawner said the Armed
Forces was set to file a formal
protest with the Coordinating
Committee on Cessation of
Hostilities against the MILF's
114th base command fat violating
the ceasefire.
Mutual agreement
"We would like to note that
this operation was intelligence-
driven and target-specific
and we did this in order to
reduce the number of collateral
casualties," Brawner said in
a separate talk with reporters
at Camp Aguinaldo.
Upon the orders of Malacanang,
the military had suspended
combat operations
against the MILF and placed its
troops in Mindanao on an "active
defense mode" since July
24 to pave the way for the resumption
of stalled peace
talks.
Two days after the government
halted its operations,
MILF chair Murad Ebrahim returned
the gesture and also ordered the suspension of military
actions (Soma) in all areas
where the MILF has fighters.
In Wednesday's clashes,
which raged until nighttime,
the military said that from 30
to 40 Abu Sayyaf bandits were
killed, but that it had counted
only 21 bodies.
Of the number, 10 of them
were believed members of the
MILF.
Naval blockade
A spokesperson for the MILF,
Eid Kabalu, confirmed 10 MILF
fighters were killed and accused
the military of triggering
the fight by entering into MILF
territory without seeking permission.
This was denied by Brig.
Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western
Command chief, who said the
military had sent prior notice
to the MILE
In the wake of Wednesday's
fighting, the military has ordered
pursuit operations
against the Abu Sayyaf and a
"naval blockade" or "naval barrier
patrol" in the seas surrounding
Basilan to prevent
the bandit group from escaping
to other islands, Brawner
said.
He said members of the
group might try to escape to
neighboring Sulu island or
even to Zamboanga City.
Navy spokesperson Lt. Col.
Edgard Arevalo said at least
three patrol gunboats, three
multipurpose attack seacraft
and another vessel had been
sent to the area for the blockade.
Isolated case
Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process Avelino Razon
Jr. said the involvement of
some MILF fighters in the gun
battle was an "isolated case"
and would not in anyway affect
the upcoming peace talks.
Razon is looking forward to
the resumption of talks in
Malaysia soon between the
government panel, headed by
Ambassador Rafael E. Seguis,
and the MILF panel, led by Mohagher
Iqbal.
During Wednesday's fighting,
the Army's First Light Reaction
Company recovered
various high-powered
weapons, a "sizeable number"
of improvised explosive
devices, and bomb-making
equipment and components
from the Abu Sayyaf camp,
the Army said.
Among the recovered items
were four light machine guns,
four M-14 rifles, five M203
grenade launchers, two rocket propelled grenades, five M-16
rifles (two of them fitted with
scopes), a "Baby Armalite"
with an M203 grenade launcher,
five Minimi squad automatic
weapons and five cellular
phones, Army spokesperson Lt.
Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.
Need for talks questioned
In Baguio City, Sen. Rodolfo
Biazon called for a "recalculation"
of the government's position
on the peace talks with the
MILE
Biazon, a former chief of
staff of the Armed Forces, also
wanted Malaysia, who had
been acting as a broker, out of
the negotiating table.
"Is the resumption of the
peace talks between the government
and the MILF still necessary?
Are we still going to
pursue in the format followed
in the past or should we recalculate
our position?" Biazon
asked.
He said the government
should also look into the impact
of the Somo.
If there is a resumption of
peace talks, Biazon said
Malaysia should no longer be a
mediator.
"We have conflicts of interest
with Malaysia," said Biazon,
chair of the Senate committee
on national defense and security.
He said among these are the
disputes on the ownership of Sabah and parts of the oil-rich
Spratly Islands.
Abu, MILF together?
Biazon said the government
should also study what went
wrong in Basilan.
"Why did this happen? Why
are there more casualties in the
government than the enemy?"
he asked.
Biazon also said that investigation
should be launched on
the role of the MILF in the
fighting.
"Is it just the Abu Sayyaf or
the MILF or the two together?"
he asked.
PNP backs AFP
Elite troops of the Philippine
National Police (PNP), such as
those from the Special Action
Force, the Regional Mobile
Group and the Provincial Mobile
Group, are backing the
military in its pursuit of the
Abu Sayyaf bandits.
"They are in strategic locations
where they (are) deployed
per request of the lead
elements from the military,"
PNP spokesperson Senior Supt.
Leonardo Espina said.
The PNP suffered one
wounded in Wednesday's
fighting, P02 Dennis Labrador
of SAF.
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