Wednesday, October 15, 2008
AFP claims reduction of Moro rebels threat
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) now claim that Central Mindanao is relatively more peaceful and the strength of lawless groups of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been reduced to a more manageable intensity.
The AFP warns that the group is now resorting to terror acts instead of a head on battle against the government forces.
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Also, the AFP claims that there are only about 62,000 evacuees left displaced as of Tuesday's tally.
In a phone interview with Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) commander General Armando Cunanan, he said the number of evacuees is already on a downward trend.
"As of this week, the evacuees have decreased by 20 percent compared to last week, and we expect lower number of evacuees as the peace and order in the area continue to improve," Cunanan told Sun.Star Davao.
Cunanan also countered the figures released by a report on ReliefWeb.int, which showed that the National Disaster Coordinating Council's (NDCC) tally of evacuees as of October 11 pegged at 19,609 families with 97,331 members.
"There are only about 62,000 people, as what the NDCC reported to us," Cunanan said.
Cunanan expressed hope that the numbers will continue to decrease in the coming days.
"There has been improvement in the peace and order, we expect further decrease in the number of evacuees in the coming days," he said.
He that rogue MILF groups led by notorious leaders Umbra Kato, Abdullah Saber Macapaar alias Bravo, and Aleem Sulayman Pangalian have been greatly reduced to a "manageable intensity" with a lower fighting capability. However, he warned that due to the reduction of the groups fighting capability, the group is now resorting to terrorist activities.
The groups of Kato, Bravo, and Pangalian have stormed and raided various villages throughout Central Mindanao in the past few weeks, killing numerous civilians in the process. (CPM)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (October 15, 2008 issue)
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