THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday disputed the claims of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that about 500 hundred soldiers have died in fighting with MILF fighters since August last year.

“The MILF’s claims were incorrect and completely without basis. It was purely propaganda, slanted, and distorted,” said AFP public affairs officer Romeo Brawner.

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Brawner said that contrary to the MILF allegations, only about 80 soldiers and militiamen have died in the continuing campaign against the rogue MILF rebels in Central Mindanao.

He also said that military records would indicate that since August 4 to June 30 this year, the MILF has suffered 278 deaths.

The MILF casualties, the official said, do not include those who were wounded, captured and apprehended, and the 231 others who have surrendered.

Brawner also belied allegations by the MILF that the military lost 78 soldiers on August 23 in Maasim, Sarangani, supposedly the largest casualty for the military in one day.

“The truth is around 40 MILF (rebels) were killed and many of them wounded while the government troops only suffered one death,” he said.

On September 13, Brawner said troops were able to overrun Camp Khalid, the MILF’s camp in Maasim town, with no casualties on the military side. “They (rebels) suffered more casualties and we were able to seize firearms and documents,” he said.

He said that while there are more MILF casualties, the basis of winning the campaign is not through the number of casualties on either side but “on how this war and fighting will end.”

Brawner took time in recognizing the sacrifices of the soldiers involved in the offensive, which was ordered by the military following a series of atrocities by the secessionists.

“Moreover, the AFP shares the sorrow felt by the loved ones of our government troops who died in the battle. We must not forget the valuable contribution they have made to the country and the impact (they have) left to the AFP,” he said.

He said the MILF should just return to the negotiating table, noting the admission of the secessionist movement that there is no way they can defeat the military.

Peace talks between the government and the MILF bogged down in August last year, after the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain that would have created the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

“We are elated that the MILF admitted that they cannot defeat the AFP. This only shows that we are still a strong force to reckon with and that our ongoing operations are paying off and successful,” said Brawner.

“We would appreciate, since they have already admitted that the AFP cannot be defeated, if they could sit down in the negotiating table so we can totally end this war peacefully,” he added. (VR/Sunnex)