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Saturday, January 13, 2007
MILF willing to help arrest bombing suspects
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- A top official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a rebel group talking peace with the government, announced on Friday that they are willing to help the government arrest those behind series of Central Mindanao bombings on Wednesday.
Sun.Star Network Online's 12th Asean Summit Watch
MILF Deputy Chair for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said they are just waiting for the government to make its formal request so they could take action and hunt down the bombing suspects.
Jaafar said the request could be coursed through either the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag) or the joint Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), whose members are composed of Philippine and MILF representatives.
"We are willing to help arrest them based on the mechanism of the peace talks," Jaafar said over the radio.
The ad hoc was formed for joint undertakings to be taken against people who are trying to sabotage the peace process while the CCCH is to help oversee the full implementation of the ceasefire while the talks are going on.
One of the identified suspects in the recent bombing is Umar Basit, a former member of the MILF Special Operations Group and now connected with the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf. He is also known as Abdulbasit Usman.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said that military ordnance experts have identified Umar's signature, especially in the wirings, from bomb residues in the explosions in three Central Mindanao cities.
Six people died while more than 20 others were wounded when bombs exploded one after the other on Wednesday evening in the cities of General Santos, Cotabato and Kidapawan.
"We don't have evidence at our hands that would confirm he (Usman) was behind the incidents," Jaafar said.
He, however, said that Usman has the capability to fabricate bombs based on previous publications of atrocities he was involved in.
Jaafar, meanwhile, vehemently denied that Usman was or had ever become a member of the MILF.
He noted that it is only the MILF group that possessed firearms and led the struggle of the Bangasamoro people, which is why the organization's name is always being dragged into violent incidents taking place in Mindanao.
The MILF leader tags the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf as behind the incidents, saying the terror group is out to avenge the death of their Urban Terrorist Group (UTG) founding leader.
Binang Sali alias Freedom, who was also UTG's spiritual adviser, was killed by government troops that raided on Tuesday evening Freedom's safe house in Barangay Anuling, Patikul, Sulu.
Jaafar said the Abu Sayyaf, which is sheltering Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists in Sulu, is also out to conduct atrocities to humiliate the government while the 12th Asean Summit is going on in Cebu.
The MILF has strongly condemned the series of bombing incidents that had taken place on Wednesday evening in three Central Mindanao cities. (Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (January 13, 2007 issue)
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