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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Army halts plan to attack 2 towns
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Army troops backed by artillery fire forced back about 200 Moro guerrillas advancing Monday in two southern towns they planned to attack, officials said.
The local police have also foiled the attempt of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to set up a training camp in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
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Several members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were wounded during the two-hour clash with soldiers near the towns of Wao and Bumbaran in Lanao del Sur province, Army Colonel Nicanor Dolojon said.
"We have launched a pre-emptive strike to prevent the rebels from nearing civilian areas," said Dolojon.
The rebels fled in small groups into a forested mountain and were being pursued by troops, he said.
About 300 villagers living near the battle scene retreated to a government evacuation center, Army Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said.
The guerrillas were reportedly led by Aleem Sulaiman Pangalian, one of three rebel commanders government forces have been hunting for allegedly leading a bloody rampage in several predominantly Christian communities in August. The violence erupted after the Supreme Court (SC) stopped the signing of an accord for a Moro homeland.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo indefinitely suspended talks with the rebel group because of the rebel assaults.
The 11,000-strong MILF has fought for self-rule in the country's south for decades.
Meanwhile, Zamboanga Sibugay Police Director Federico Castro confirmed that the MNLF has been trying to set up a training camp in one of the villages of Ipil town.
Castro said he immediately ordered the removal of the structures built by the MNLF as it violates the 1996 peace accord.
The MNLF has forged a peace agreement with the government on September 2, 1996 ending the decades-old hostilities between the MNLF commandos and the government troops.
Castro said he learned about the MNLF's activities in the area after some villagers in Ipil town reported to him about the presence of unidentified people conducting combat training and erecting structures in the place.
Castro said his men, who went to check the area, were able to confirm the MNLF's presence.
The MNLF group has immediately left the place after the police demolished the makeshift structures they built, Castro said.
Castro lauded the prompt action of the villagers to report the MNLF's presence. (AP/Bong Garcia/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (November 11, 2008 issue)
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