Wednesday, November 12, 2014

D-day in the mountains of Basilan

From the Zamboanga Today (Nov 13): D-day in the mountains of Basilan

When you can hear helicopters hovering in the City’s airspace, it probably is part of the military operations in the hinterlands of Basilan. Barangay eMedia has also been on the edge to cover its story through the press releases from the Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom).
 
It is understandable that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) must be on top of the situation in this kind of military endeavour. News up in the operations must be official. Media folks wait every single announcement from the WesMinCom.
 
Barangay eMedia reporters, like partner Ely Dumaboc, would wait in real patience with the rest of the press corps in the WesMinCom in order to gather the freshest news to report to the public. It’s a professionalism thing.
 
More or less than 500 families in Sumisip, Basilan fled and evacuated from their residents due to the offensive operations of the military against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which lairs are adjacent to homes of civilians.
 
The said operations are aimed to neutralize the ASG who are making camps in Barangay Baiwas, Sumisip and to bring to justice the perpetrators who were responsible to the death of 6 soldiers, including a junior officer—2nd Lt. Jun Corpus, few weeks ago.
 
Sumisip Mayor Gulam Hataman said that they are prepared in case said operations will affect more civilian families in his municipality and the rest.
 
One must remember, that the military force in the Basilan Province is now reaching about to be 2,500 foot soldiers. They are in the province not just to guard vital installations of the national government projects but to literally run after the ASG, who also are connected to international terror groups and as are responsible to the different attacks in Mindanao.
 
Cellular networks in three municipalities of Basilan are temporarily shut down for the offensive operations of the military in the hinterlands of Basilan. The objective of said “shut down” is to suppress the communication between the ASG and their supporters/sympathizers outside the province.
 
The military wants now to totally destroy the ASG in the province who are responsible in the delay of bigger projects of the national government, and the peace and order in the South. The ASG also extorts to different businessmen in the province and even to mayors. This is the reason why the ARMM governor himself, Hon. Mujiv Hataman, asked the military to neutralize the ASG in Basilan.
 
Meanwhile, said military operations brought some fruitful successes as the 104th Brigade of the Philippine Army captured an ASG camp, in the mountains of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, which manufactured a number of Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
 
The same camp produced bombs which the ASG used to attack government installations and in planting bombs in the South Western part of Mindanao. This camp was operated by the ASG commander Furuji Indama, who was responsible to a number of kidnapping in the ARMM area. The Military assured the destruction of the ASG and to put to end the extortions in the province.
 
Well, it must be or should have been! The South of Mindanao has already suffered a lot because of the atrocities perpetrated by the ASG. Its force is relatively minute compared to the might of the government.
 
Dear Generals, enough for the moro-moro operations! Everyone wants to see not just military actions as “pogi points” for the promotions of ranks and the AFP Chief of Staff but an actual pulverizing of the ASG menace.
 
Let’s wait and see then for the operations’ ultimate results, kudos to all of our military forces in Basilan who are giving their lives for the peace of Mindanao. “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” 1 Pet. 3:17.
 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.