Friday, June 27, 2008 MILF hostages in Sarangani rescued
MAITUM, Sarangani -- Authorities rescued civilians who were held hostage early Wednesday at the boundary of Maitum town in Sarangani and Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat by suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members.
"So far yung may na-hostage na sibilyan doon sa Maguling and then doon sa area ng boundary ng Pinol, na-liberate na namin yun (so far we have liberated the civilian hostages in Maguling and also those in the Pinol boundary area)," said Pangilinan, commander of the 1002nd Army Brigade.
Pangilinan issued this report to Vice Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon and Maitum Mayor Elsie Perrett around 9 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal hall.
Pangilinan, who led his troops towards Barangay Maguling in Maitum, where the hostage-taking incident happened, described the rescue operation "with much firefight."
"It took us about half a day (with much firefight)," he said. "We have two casualties."
Pangilinan though did not identify the two government soldiers who were killed during their rescue operation.
Mayor Perrett meanwhile said the situation on Wednesday night was returning to normal.
According to Colonel Leo Cresente Ferrer, chief of staff of the 10th Infantry Division, the MILF rebels withdrew from the area upon the instructions of their higher officials.
"The evacuees, about 1,200 of them, have also been asked to return to their homes," Ferrer said during the AFP-PNP Press Corps forum Thursday.
Ferrer said there were about 50 MILF members who attacked the village of Ticulab in Maitum around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Residents were also reportedly herded at gunpoint at the local elementary school in the area.
But after negotiations with the leaders of the MILF later in the afternoon, Ferrer said instructions have been sent out to the rebel group to withdraw from the area.
Perrett said firefights broke out when heavily-armed men ambushed government troops who were on their way to a crime scene where a civilian volunteer was reportedly killed Wednesday morning by rebels in Barangay Ticulab.
A soldier was wounded in the ambush.
Truckloads of evacuees from the barangays of Maguling, Mindupok, and Ticulab arrived later in the night Wednesday to take shelter at the municipal gym.
Government workers set up a community kitchen to feed some 1,468 evacuees fleeing the gunmen from nearby Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.
The MILF-triggered evacuation came as villagers were returning to their homes in the aftermath of flashfloods caused by typhoon Frank (international codename: Fengshen).
Local officials were calling on the Philippine National Red Cross, through Senator Richard Gordon, to send food, medicines, and bedding.
The police identified the attackers as a group led by certain commander Ustadz Mursod, commander Ting Jakiri, commander Dante, and commander 511 of the 104th brigade BIAF MILF based at camp Batang Bagras in Palimbang.
Helicopter attacks "prompted them to withdraw to the mountain ranges of Barangay Mindupok wherein the Army troopers conducted their continuous hot pursuit operation," the police report said.
Mayor Perrett, Police Regional Director Felizardo Serafio, and Vice Governor Solon convened Wednesday afternoon a crisis management team and simultaneously created a unified command post established at the municipal hall to monitor enemy troop movements.
PNP personnel from the Regional Mobile Group 12, a team from the Sarangani Provincial Mobile Group, and a PNP team from Maitum were "dispatched to strategic places to prevent the MILF rebels from entering the poblacion." (Carlo P. Mallo/With Press release)
