700 families displaced due to Basilan conflict

From ABS-CBN (May 14): 700 families displaced due to Basilan conflict

BASILAN - More than 700 families are still displaced in Basilan after the renewed conflict broke out in some barangays of Mohammad Ajul town last month.

Basilan Police chief Senior Superintendent Mario Buyuccan said policemen and soldiers encountered a group of suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in Barangay Tuburan Proper in Mohammad Ajul.

The bandits were headed by alleged foreign terrorists who are experts in bomb making.

Last week, the Joint Task group Basilan recovered some improvised explosive devices and Islamic State flags during their operation in Mohammad Ajul.

Two alleged members of Abu Sayyaf Group were killed in the operation.

Basilan social welfare officer Lilia Bucoy said the more than 700 families who fled their homes due to the conflict are now staying with their relatives in Lamitan City and other adjacent municipalities.

There were no evacuation centers set up for the internally displaced families.

Bucoy said most of the evacuees prefer staying with their relatives over seeking home in temporary evacuation centers like public schools.

Authorities have identified six areas in Lamitan City and Mohammad Ajul where they could gather the evacuees whenever the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other government agencies distribute relief goods and other assistance.

Bucoy said three barangays in Mohammad Ajul are directly affected by the conflict, and one of these is now considered as ghost village since most of the residents in the place have fled to a safer place.

Colonel Rolly Bautista, commander of Joint Task Group Basilan, said Abu Sayyaf bandits are still occupying a remote place in Mohammad Ajul.

On Wednesday morning, alleged Abu Sayyaf bandits harassed policemen who were securing the municipal police station of Mohamma Ajul.

There were no reported casualties from both sides after a few minutes of gun battle.

Tensions remain high in the area, as the military continuously support the efforts of the police to secure the place and some of the civilians who opted to stay in their homes.

Regional disaster management officer Ramil Masukat said they cannot force the evacuees to go back to their respective homes without the advise of the police and military.

The regional government has allocated funds for additional relief goods for the 700 families, but this may not be enough to fulfill the needs of the evacuees.

http://rp1.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/05/14/15/700-families-displaced-due-basilan-conflict