MILF blasts MNLF, Military

From the Manila Standard Today (May 19): MILF blasts MNLF, Military

A commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front accused the military on Saturday of joining forces with the Moro National Liberation Front in a gun battle at Matalam, North Cotabato that resulted in the death of several MILF troops and the burning of their houses.

MILF commander Hadji Ali Mansur, head of the MILF’s 108th Base Command, said he and his relatives were attacked early in the morning of May 16 at Barangay Marbel in Matalam town by MNLF guerillas led by Datu Dimam Ambil.

Mansur said in a statement on the MILF website Luwaran.com his group were able to repel the MNLF troops in the morning, but they were surprised when they saw Philippine Army troopers joining another attack in the afternoon.

“The military attacked us from the back which we did not expect,” Mansur said, claiming that the participation of elements of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade in the attack was a violation of the government’s peace agreement with the MILF.

“The army troops were supposed to be a neutral buffer force and should have halted the assault and the burning of houses by forces of Datu Dima,” Mansur was quoted as saying.

“The military insisted to put up their buffer force in between the feuding parties to ensure that no untoward incident would happen while works for peaceful resolutions are underway,” the MILF said on its website.

Fighting in the area started last May 5 when Ambil’s troops attacked Mansur and his men purportedly after the MILF guerillas harassed planters in the sugarcane fields in the area.

Government and MILP peace negotiators, including the International Monitoring Team, parleyed a truce and both sides agreed to resolve the issue after the May 13 elections.

“We will file our protest on this military-backed MNLF attack and the necessary charges for the burning of our houses,” Mansur said.

But the military denied Mansur’s claim and dared the MILF leader to pursue his complaint.

“It would be best for the MILF to file their protest to determine the veracity of their claim, but we clearly state that we operate independently. It is impossible that they will operate together with the MNLF,” said Army spokesman Maj. Randolf Cabangbang.

MNLF peace panel member Rev. Absalom Cerveza said they have yet to verify if the military did join the attack, but he confirmed that there was a gunfight in Matalam that supposedly resulted in the death of several MILF guerillas and the burning of their homes.

Cerveza claimed the clash was triggered last May 5 by an MILF attempt to occupy the lands occupied by the MNLF, resulting in the death of one MILF guerilla and injury to two children.

“They wanted to include the MNLF property as part of their ancestral domain and that would be a direct insult and threat to the MNLF,” Cerveza said. “They also wanted to annex the areas because it is very productive agricultural land having palm oil, sugarcane and coconut.”

Mansur did not mention any casualties, but Cervesa said the skirmishes resulted in the death of several MILF guerillas.

Cervesa could not determine the number because the fatalities were immediately buried in accordance with Muslim tradition. But at least four MILF casualties were brought by the MNLF to the Amas Provincial Hospital in Matalam town for treatment, he said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/05/19/milf-blasts-mnlf-military/