Philippine officials say standoff with rebels now over, but skirmishes continue

From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Sep 28): Philippine officials say standoff with rebels now over, but skirmishes continue



Philippine Defense Chief Voltaire Gazmin on Saturday said the standoff in Zamboanga City between security and rebel forces are over following three weeks of fierce fighting that killed and wounded over 400 people.

“Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin declares Zamboanga standoff over but still searching for Commander Khabir Malik, the leader of the siege,” said Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar.

Malik, a lieutenant of MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, led rebel forces in assaulting Zamboanga on September 9 to exert their rights to self-determination. He reportedly escaped last week on a speedboat with his trusted men and left behind a rag-tag army of fighters to hold off advancing security forces.

It was not immediately known whether Malik - who is facing rebellion charges along with his men - has returned to Sulu province or sought safe refuge in nearby Basilan province. The report cannot be independently confirmed, but security officials, quoting former hostages freed by rebels said Malik is trapped in Zamboanga’s Santa Catalina village, but there were no traces of him in the area.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte also confirmed Gazmin’s statement. “We confirmed Secretary Gazmin’s statement that the Zamboanga crisis is over.

Defense Secretary made that announcement and we always maintain in the days that we were dealing with the situation that it will be the officials on the ground that will be making this announcement based on their assessment,” Valte said in a televised interview.

Gazmin and Salazar, including Interior Secretary Mar Roxas also led a tribute at the Western Mindanao Command to the soldiers and policemen who were killed in the fighting and called them “Fallen Heroes of Zamboanga Siege” and among those slain were three young lieutenants who were graduates of the Philippine Military Academy.

“Siege in Zamboanga City is over. We honor the fallen, the brave and the soldiers and policemen who died for their countrymen,” Roxas said as sporadic fighting wounded two marines in a clash on an islet off Mariki village called Camp Sumatra where troops are battling rebel forces.

The fighting has forced over 100,000 people to flee their homes and is now in temporary refugee shelters.







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