Gov't coordinating with Muslim rebels to end Abu Sayyaf: official

From the Philippine Star (Oct 23): Gov't coordinating with Muslim rebels to end Abu Sayyaf: official

The government is banking on the support of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest Muslim rebel group in the country, in neutralizing the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group, a senior government official said today.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that the government has been coordinating with the MILF in suppressing the group.

"They are our partner in achieving peace and order in Bangsamoro," he said in a news briefing in Malacanang, the presidential palace.

A Bangsamoro government is expected to be established to replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as part of a comprehensive agreement that was signed between the Philippine government and the MILF in March this year.

Coloma said the Philippine government was expecting the MILF to not only condemn the activities of the Abu Sayyaf, but also support the government forces' operation against the militants in areas covered by the envisioned Bangsamoro entity.

He noted that the government is also coordinating with local governments and the people at large.

President Benigno Aquino III has said that his administration is carrying out a two-pronged approach in dealing with the Abu Sayyaf.

He said the government is using military power to crush the group and its supporters on the one hand, and making efforts to develop Mindanao on the other.

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