A MILITARY official said the continuous government offensives have crippled the rouge Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) headed by Abdulrahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo in Lanao province.

Lieutenant Colonel Agane Adriatico, civil military operations chief of the Army's 1st Infantry Division, said Bravo's group no longer has the capability to launch bigger attacks.

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Adriatico said the group of Bravo has splintered into smaller groups while running away from troops that are relentlessly pursuing them.

Military operations aimed to capture Bravo continue since the August 18 attacks in Lanao del Norte towns.

A separate operation was also launched for the arrest of MILF leader Ameril Umbra Kato who recently led his forces in occupying several civilian communities in North Cotabato.

Adriatico said some of Bravo's men have left the group to elude possible arrest by the military.

He added that some of Bravo's men abandoned their leader after he declared for "ubusan ng lahi" on television recently.

Some of Bravo's men believed that they would only be made as sacrificial lamb by the MILF commander, Adriatico said.

Adriatico claimed that Bravo also losses mass-based support in Lanao province.

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(November 1, 2008 issue)
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