Photo by Joselito Vitug
The Department of National Defense (DND) said on Thursday that government operatives are finalizing preparations for the operation to serve the warrant of arrest on Nurjulani Misuari, popularly known as Nur Misuari, the former leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
The preparations are intended to avoid a repeat of the incident in Basilan that killed almost two dozen soldiers while serving arrest warrants against leaders of lawless groups in 2012.
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Sulu has been containing him [Misuari] in just one place. There is a warrant of arrest and this must be served to him. There is the Philippine National Police (PNP) to do that. It's going to be a joint operation between the PNP and AFP," DND Sec. Voltaire Gazmin said, without disclosingjust how many soldiers are going to be deployed to support the police in serving the order.
"We're assessing the situation carefully so the possible confrontation would not be bloody, if ever, during the serving of the warrant," Gazmin said.
In October 2012, 19 soldiers of the Philippine Army Special Forces (SF) were killed and 14 others seriously wounded during a daylong firefight against more than 300 armed men comprised of elements from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Al Barka, Basilan.
The troops were in the area to serve arrest warrants against some lawless leaders of the MILF including some sub-leaders of the ASG.
On Wednesday, a new spokesman of Misuari announced his purported return to Sulu after several months of recuperating from an illness while in hiding, to avoid getting arrested after the courts in Zamboanga City issued him warrants in connection with August 2013 Zambonga siege.
According to Habib Mudjahab Hashim, chairman of the MNLF's ISalmic Command Council, Misuar had a meeting with his supporters on August 24 at Barangay Lampayag, Panamao, where he reiterated his declaration of "independence" from the Philippine government.
During that Zamboanga siege, Misuari's men men led by his loyal commander Habier Malik stormed the city but were repulsed by government forces after almost a month of fierce fighting.
The siege displaced up to 120,000 resident from several barangays in the city.
Misuari and more than 150 others were charged for war crimes. The seriously-wounded Malik, who was able to escape the frontline of the concflict, died later.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/94224/govt-finalizes-preparations-to-serve-warrant-against-misuari
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