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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Military launches offensives v. Abu Sayyaf
MANILA -- Philippine troops launched offensives Monday against Muslim insurgents who killed 27 soldiers last week on southern Jolo island, officials said.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the assaults were directed against terrorists on Jolo, in Sulu province, but that she ordered the military not to break a truce with two large Muslim rebel groups or inflict massive civilian casualties.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
"As I speak, government forces are in full offensives against terrorist cells in Sulu," Arroyo told a business forum in Manila.
The massive offensive, to be personally directed by Army chief Lieutenant General Romeo Tolentino, "will not just orchestrate punitive actions against those who maim and kill, but study the peaceful overtures of those who demonstrate remorse," Arroyo said.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said troops were targeting the al Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf - notorious for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings - and not the larger Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which signed a 1996 peace accord with the government, or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is engaged in talks with Manila.
The assaults will continue unabated, Teodoro said, when asked if the government would consider an appeal from peace activists and local officials to call them off to avoid endangering civilians.
Last Thursday's troop casualties on Jolo - 25 soldiers killed in a road ambush and ensuing clashes - have rattled the military. The incident was its largest single-day troop loss in recent years.
The deaths followed Muslim militants' beheading of 10 marines last month on nearby Basilan island, which enraged Arroyo and top generals.
In an unprecedented step, Arroyo ordered that the Army's headquarters be temporarily moved from Manila to the southern port city of Zamboanga to back up the offensives.
The Army chief was also ordered to base there "so he can be near my soldiers," Arroyo said.
Arroyo, at the same time, ordered the pilot implementation of an ancestral domain regime in Mindanao, a contentious issue in the talks, to show government's sincerity in forging peace with the MILF.
She also directed the military to respect the existing ceasefire guidelines and to closely consult and work with the government-MILF ceasefire committees and the International Monitoring Team, "whose mandate we should seek to extend before it expires next month."
Another directive Arroyo issued was for keeping the offensives firmly controlled "to minimize civilian casualties" and for the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to help in the evacuation of those who might get caught in the crossfire.
Carrying out such offensives has been plagued by dilemmas. A key difficulty is how to enforce Arroyo's order to smash the Abu Sayyaf, which has about 300 gunmen, without antagonizing the much larger MNLF or MILF.
Abu Sayyaf gunmen deliberately seek refuge in or near MNLF or MILF strongholds to evade pursuing troops. Many rebels from the three groups are also bonded by blood ties and battle-forged friendships, military officials say.
MNLF commanders, for example, say their forces - not Abu Sayyaf gunmen - were the ones who clashed with troops in Jolo last week. They warned they would fight back if their Jolo encampments were attacked in the current offensives.
The government also has to deal with displaced or affected villagers, which have reached 18,000 on Jolo and Basilan, along with international reaction.
Canada and Japan have threatened to withdraw aid personnel from conflict-affected regions if the fighting escalates. (AP/With Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (August 14, 2007 issue)
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