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Monday, May 05, 2003
MILF raids Zambo town, seizes mayor's family
JUST over a week after apologizing for the killing of 13 civilians in Lanao del Norte, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has again attacked a remote town in Zamboanga del Norte at the eve of their fiesta and abducted 20 civilians, including the family of the town mayor, a former ABS-CBN executive in Davao.
At least three people were killed as government forces fought a band of 70 suspected Moro guerrillas who stormed Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, officials said Sunday.
Among the 20 abducted as the rebels were the wife and son of town mayor Ceasar C. Soriano, the officials said.
Officials said sporadic fighting was still going on in the mining town of Siocon in Zamboanga del Norte and that they feared there were more casualties.
Two policemen and a soldier were confirmed killed but there were a lot of civilians in the town because of a local festival.
"There were many civilian casualties because it was the eve of the fiesta," a senior military official who asked not to be named told reporters.
The wounded numbered at least seven -- three soldiers, one policeman and three civilians, according to the official.
The rebels attacked a town hall, a public market and a hospital around 2 a.m. Sunday.
The military said it believed the guerrillas included men from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the biggest of several Moro rebel groups in Mindanao, and the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed as a foreign terrorist group by Washington with suspected links to the al Qaeda network and some other renegades.
The Abu Sayyaf claims to be fighting for a separate Islamic state in the south but pursues kidnap-for-ransom as its main activity.
Despite efforts to kick-start peace talks with the MILF, clashes between the rebels and the soldiers have intensified since troops overran a key guerrilla stronghold in February.
Meanwhile, in Pikit, North Cotabato eight members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were killed and three soldiers wounded in renewed clashes with government troops in Pikit and Sultan Sabarongis, Maguindanao Province, the military said.
According to Col. Carduzo Luna, commanding officer of the Army's 602nd Infantry Brigade, elements from the 40th Infantry Battalion were on community foot patrol when they met around 70 armed members of the MILF under a certain Kumander Akmad Jairal.
Luna said the gunfight, which started around 5:10 a.m., lasted for two hours. The Moro rebels retreated after two MJ-520 attack helicopters of the Philippine Air Force arrived as reinforcement.
Various high-powered firearms and ammunition were recovered from the dead bodies of the MILF men. There were no casualties on the government side except for the wounded soldiers, Luna said. The military is on hot pursuit operations against the Moro rebels. RCO/GF with wires
(May 5, 2003 issue)
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