2 weeks after it signed a peace pact with the government, the MILF pushes for a probe into a military attack against its members in Basilan
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denounced the killing of 4 of its members in a military operation in Basilan just 2 weeks after a peace deal was signed to end their decades-old conflict.
"Four of our
members were martyred," MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar told reporters
on Tuesday, April 15.
Government forces launched the
operation Friday, April 11 to capture two top leaders of the Abu
Sayyaf group (ASG) blamed for beheadings and kidnappings. The military claimed
18 ASG and MILF were killed. MILF members were supposedly "acting on their
own" to help ASG members who are also their relatives.
"We know
that the MILF has irregular forces and it's hard to control their people. Some
of them are relatives of ASG members. They help their in their individual
capacities," Armed Forces chief General Emmanuel Bautista told reporters
in Zamboanga City Tuesday.
Watch this video
below.
'Honeymoon
period'
Jaafar is not
convinced, however. He cautioned the military against disturbing the
"honeymoon period" that the government and the MILF are enjoying
after the signing of the peace deal.
"We do not
want this agreement to be disturbed by such unwanted incidents initiated by the
military," Jaafar said.
The MILF has
asked an international committee monitoring the ceasefire between the Philippines and
the rebel group to investigate who was to blame for Friday's violence, Jaafar
said.
Jaafar said the
attack may have been a result of poor military intelligence. "I believe
it's (attack inside MILF territory) intentional. But did the military know it
was the MILF they were attacking? The military should have conducted
surveillance, gathered intelligence first. That is basic," he said.
Jaafar said the
"mistake" should not happen again.
The military
operation against the ASG was launched in response to the recent extortion and
kidnapping incidents that had been reported. The primary objective of the
operation was to arrest Puruji Indama,
according to Captain Maria Rowena Muyuela, public information officer of the
military's Western Mindanao Command.
The incident
highlights the work that needs to be done to complete the peace deal. The
military and the MILF, jointly, are supposed to be in charge of the security
situation in Muslim-dominated areas until the envisioned Bangsamoro Police
Force is set up. (READ: Real peace means the guns will
have to go away)
On Monday, the Bangsamoro
Transition Commission (BTC) submitted to Malacañang an incomplete draft of the proposed Bangsamoro political
entity.
The submission
sets the stage for the second phase of the peace process, which is an equally
difficult one: congressional approval of a planned political structure that
aims to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and a plebiscite after
to determine which towns or provinces would be under its control.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/55554-milf-probe-basilan-operation
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