February 20, 2005, The Philippine Star, Military targets 2nd Muslim rebel group, by Jaime Laude and Roel Pareno,

February 20, 2005, The Philippine Star, Military targets 2nd Muslim rebel group, by Jaime Laude And Roel Pareno,

 

A second major military operation has been launched in Sulu, this time targeting another main camp of renegade Muslim rebels and remnants of the extremist Abu Sayyaf group (ASG).

 

Less than a week after terrorist bombings linked to the Abu Sayyaf shocked three cities, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) set aside talk about ceasefire and renewed its all-out war against the rebels.

 

Three soldiers were killed and one wounded in an encounter with Abu Sayyaf fighters yesterday as the military shifted some of its troops in Panamao town to other parts of Jolo, said Sulu military chief Brig. Gen. Agustin Dema-ala.

 

Troops were securing a road in Indanan town on the island when they came upon members of the Abu Sayyaf, Dema-ala said, adding the Abu Sayyaf suffered an undetermined number of casualties.

 

The clash came just days after about 2,000 soldiers overtook Camp Bitan-ag, the headquarters of Muslim rebel leader Habier Malik in Panamao, also in Jolo, following some 10 days of fighting. At least 25 soldiers and some 70 to 100 of Malik's men died in the clashes.

 

In order to weaken the rebels further, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz announced yesterday an assault operation against its second major lair, Camp Karao, in Patikul town.

 

Once this camp, suspected to house members of the Misuari Breakaway Group (MBG) and the Abu Sayyaf, is taken, the conflict will be contained to a single area of the island province, Cruz told reporters at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City where he was guest of honor and speaker at the annual homecoming at the Philippine Military Academy.

 

The AFP has been careful not to identify the Muslim rebels as armed supporters of former Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chieftain Nur Misuari, who is detained at the police training camp Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on rebellion charges.

 

Cruz, however, confirmed the ties between the MBG and the Abu Sayyaf, which has been labeled by the United States as a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda.

 

The defense chief said they will make an assessment of their next move after troops have seized Camp Karao. "We are mindful of not letting the conflict spread," he said.

 

"What is important to the AFP for now is to capture (the rebels') second camp because we will not allow terrorists to have a stronghold in our territory," Cruz said in Filipino.

 

"There is a clear link between the MBG and Abu Sayyaf, which is known to be a terrorist group. We will not allow them to mass up in Karao," he stressed.

 

The military announced earlier this week the capture of Malik's Camp Bitan-ag. Malik, known as a respected religious leader and loyal follower of Misuari, mounted attacks on military outposts in Jolo on Feb. 6.

 

He was backed by members of Misuari's MNLF but Abu Sayyaf fighters also took part in some of the fighting, the military has said.

 

Dema-ala said Malik did not want to be linked to the Abu Sayyaf who are known mainly for kidnapping and bomb attacks. However, he noted some of Malik's men tended to have "dual personalities," switching their affiliation with and against the Abu Sayyaf.

 

An Abu Sayyaf spokesman earlier said his group was responsible for the series of bombing attacks that struck Manila and the southern cities of General Santos and Davao on Valentine's Day, killing 13 people and wounding over 100 others. The alleged spokesman said the bombings were in retaliation for the attack on Malik's forces.

 

Dema-ala said two battalions of Marines have been left in Panamao to deal with Malik's men but that the other troops are being sent to pursue the Abu Sayyaf, who are largely based in Indanan.

 

"Our offensive against them continues. We really plan to finish them off," the general told Agence France Presse.

 

Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes assured the people that air bombardment in Sulu will not target civilians as attack planes and helicopters are now concentrating their bombing operations on forested areas.

 

"Normally, the bombings take place in forested areas so civilians have not been hurt nor will they be hurt," claimed Reyes.

 

President Arroyo has ordered the military to "move forward to wipe out the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf" after the Feb. 14 bombings.

 

Washington and Manila have linked the Abu Sayyaf to the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden.

 

The deadly bombings came nearly a year after the Abu Sayyaf allegedly bombed the SuperFerry 14 off Manila Bay, killing more than 100 people in the worst known terrorist attack in the Philippines. 

'Unfair'

Meanwhile, Army chief Lt. Gen. Generoso Senga dismissed as "unfair" observations that Army integrees from the MNLF might turn their backs against the government and join their former colleagues in fighting government forces.

 

"I don't think there is any basis for saying that. You should know that among the casualties in the AFP kasama ang MNLF integrees (their companions were MNLF integrees)," Senga said, adding three of them have so far been killed while several others were wounded.

 

"The MNLF integrees have sworn to protect the Republic," Senga pointed out.

 

In fact, Senga said the Army leadership is now in the process of selecting the MNLF integrees who can be accelerated and be given commissions in the Army.

 

"Most of the MNLF integrees are enlisted personnel. We will be giving them the chance (to be accelerated). We will give them scholarship (grants), then we will develop them into commissioned officers," the Army chief said.

 

The Misuari-led MNLF was formerly the largest separatist rebel group until it entered into a peace treaty with the government in 1996. Integrating its fighters into the AFP was one of the gains achieved in the process.

 

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an MNLF splinter group, still fights for an independent Islamic state to this day as it waits to sit at the peace table with the government.

 

More Help From The US

 

Development in the South, which has some of the poorest provinces in the country, has been hindered due to the decades-old conflict.

 

But US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone gave assurance to the families of MILF rebels living at Camp Abubakar that his government will vigorously implement more socio-economic development in Muslim areas to complement the Southern Mindanao peace process.

 

In a visit to Cotabato City last Friday, Ricciardone said his direct involvement in the implementation of US-funded humanitarian projects in Muslim areas is his way of waging a "jihad for peace" and sustainable development for impoverished communities in Mindanao.

 

Ricciardone, along with ARMM Gov. Parouk Hussin and Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza, were there to inaugurate a US-funded bridge connecting Barangays Sarmiento and Tugaig in Matanog, both in Matanog, Maguindanao.

 

Barangay Sarmiento is the known gateway to Camp Abubakar, a 10,000-hectare MILF bastion captured by government forces in 2000. Camp Abubakar is now guarded by a brigade-size Army contingent.

 

Ricciardone said his "jihad for peace" project in Mindanao would focus on quality education for Muslims and their socio-economic empowerment.

 

For Muslims, jihad is not only a struggle for spiritual purity and perfection, but is also meant to uphold public welfare and safety through governance and individual involvement in community affairs.

 

Ricciardone told residents of Camp Abubakar in a brief speech during the inaugural rite that education will also improve employment in the locality.

 

"Quality education empowers the young to right the injustices of history, and to seize the future. For education truly liberates, while ignorance oppresses and enslaves," Ricciardone said.

 

After his visit to Camp Abubakar, Ricciardone personally turned over computers donated by the US government to the Rasheeda High School in Cotabato City. The school is located in the center of a predominantly Muslim community in the city.

 

During the turnover of the computers, Ricciardone also pledged to work toward the release of $1 million from his government’s coffers to bankroll a diversion road that would link remote communities in Cotabato City to the site of its new city hall.

 

Meanwhile, lawmakers welcomed yesterday the US government's commitment to send $4 million in intelligence aid for the AFP, money they said would greatly help the Philippine military in ending the terrorism threat in the country.

 

Leyte Rep. Eduardo Veloso and Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano said that with adequate intelligence funding, the AFP should be able to effectively counter terror threats, especially in the aftermath of the Valentine's Day bombings.

 

The solons also called for a reassessment of the AFP intelligence program including use of its funds and priorities, citing its failure to prevent the Feb. 14 bombings in three urban centers that killed 13 people and wounded scores more.

 

Veloso said the intelligence fund of the AFP has come under scrutiny time and again during budget deliberations because of "lapses" in previous anti-terrorism operations.

 

"The war against terror is a shared undertaking by our soldiers and cops, their intelligence programs should complement each other and be constantly reviewed to correct lapses," Veloso said.

 

"It's time the armed forces justifies its huge intelligence fund in light of the renewed terror threats from the Abu Sayyaf Group. The US intelligence aid fund is meant to boost intelligence-gathering activities but the success of the military operations remains to be seen," he stressed.

 

Albano said there should be prudent and efficient use of intelligence funds by the armed forces to ensure success of its anti-terror operations. "The armed forces is still accountable for the $4 million intelligence fund, even if this come in the form of assistance."

 

Albano said with adequate intelligence fund support from the government and the US, the AFP is left without any excuse if it fails to deliver the expected results. "The war against terror remains a priority of President Arroyo who has committed to crush the ASG after the Valentine's Day bombings. The public expects the armed forces and the police to perform better and neutralize the ASG and other terror organizations after the incident."

 

Earlier, Cruz said the $4 million intelligence aid from the US will be used this year to upgrade the AFP intelligence and anti-terror capabilities. — With AFP, John Unson

 

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