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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Air, mortar strikes still allowed: AFP
DAVAO CITY -- Eastern Mindanao Command chief Major General Armando Cunanan clarified Monday that air and artillery strikes during military offensives in Mindanao are still allowed but only when "extremely necessary".
In an interview at his office Monday morning, Cunanan said the instruction given to him by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Alexander Yano was that they can still use artillery and air strikes when the government troops are at a disadvantage.
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Cunanan said artillery and air strikes are their last resort as it always has been even before the start of the Ramadan and the unfortunate incident last week where six civilians were reportedly killed by alleged air strikes.
"We don't have any pre-supposed condition on that. Whether Ramadan or not, we really utilize air and artillery only when really necessary," Cunanan said.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly ordered the AFP to stop their air and artillery strikes in running against lawless Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) groups in Mindanao after a meeting with the Mindanao People's Caucus members in Malacañang last week.
The military, however, denied such claim by the peace conveners, saying they will continue using air and artillery weapons but only on extreme cases.
Meanwhile, the military reported that lawless elements of the MILF are already shifting to guerilla warfare amid the continuing offensive.
Yano said some of the rebel groups have broken up into smaller groups.
"We have small encounters almost daily. In fact last Saturday, we have recorded six harassments by the lawless MILF groups but they have not inflicted any casualty on our government troops. This only goes to show they themselves are not respecting Ramadan," Yano, in a television report, said.
The AFP chief of staff also vowed to continue the pursuit operations against the renegade MILF commanders Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, for the series of attacks in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato last month.
He said the air and artillery strikes will continue and the military is conducting pre-emptive measures to keep civilian communities unharmed.
"There is no complete halt to the use firepower but we are minimizing it na hindi magagamit basta basta kung hindi extremely necessary," he said.
Yano visited wounded government troopers in Jolo, Sulu and Basilan on Sunday, as well as a military unit in the town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay. (BOT/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (September 16, 2008 issue)
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