Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Military, police allay fears of armed conflict spillover in Lanao del Sur

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 2): Military, police allay fears of armed conflict spillover in Lanao del Sur

The military and police leadership in Northern Mindanao allayed fears of a spillover of the armed conflict in Lanao del Sur to its neighboring provinces in the region.

In a separate interview with the Philippines News Agency (PNA), newly installed Philippine National Police (PNP) 10 spokesperson Supt. Surki Sereñas and 4th Infantry Division spokesperson Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez agreed on one thing – that the police and the military would never allow the terrorists holed up in a remote part of Butig in Lanao Del Sur to spread the conflict in the region.

While Lanao del Sur is not part of northern Mindanao, it does not fall under the civilian jurisdiction of the PNP 10 or the military jurisdiction of the 4th Infantry Division.

Still, its proximity to northern Mindanao could be worrisome.

“The Police Regional Office 10 has actually taken countermeasures even before the incident in Lanao del Sur happened,” Sereñas said.

"Actually, during the onset of the bombing of the transmission towers, the regional police has already intensified intelligence buildup and checkpoint operations in the boundaries of both regions (ARMM and Region 10)," Sereñas added.

The provincial police office in Lanao del Norte has a ready complement from the Regional Public Safety Battalion and their own public safety companies in case of eventualities, he said.

Martinez said the military’s objective is to contain the conflict within the confines of Lanao del Sur “to avoid spillover in the 4th Infantry Division area of responsibility and other parts of Mindanao.

“Should the situation escalate, we have troops that are ready to be deployed to protect the civilian populace, their properties and all vital installations,” Martinez said.

Last Friday, the Philippine Army overran the terrorists’ camp associated with Jemaah Islamiyah in Butig, killing 42 lawless armed men and three soldiers.

The fighting started on Feb. 20 when the terrorists attacked an Army detachment in the area.

So far, the terrorist suffered more than 50 casualties while the military incurred 11 killed in action.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=862271

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