Thirteen civilians were reported to have died late last month as a result of the offensive initiated by so-called Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway group of the MILF. Eight of the civilians were from Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, all Christians, and the others from the towns of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Abdullah Sangki, both in Maguindanao.
Great God, this is against the teachings of Islam. A Muslim should only fight the one who fights him; and children, women, and the elderly should be spared. There is no terrorism in jihad or a threat to civilians.
Of course, the BIFF’s spokesman denied they have killed civilians. He clarified that those slain were members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGUs), who he said are fair targets. We have not verified who is telling the truth, the military or the BIFF.
However, if the intention of the BIFF in launching these attacks is for media mileage, then it must not be at the expense of civilians. It is counter-productive and will not bring them any glad tiding. Under no circumstances, killing of civilians can be justified.
The MILF never wanted these unfortunate incidents to happen at all, but there is no way it can stop them. The BIFF is a separate group and does not take orders from the MILF. In fact, in a way, the BIFF was a protest action of its founder, the late Ameril Omra Kato, against the moderate stance of the MILF in solving the armed mess in Mindanao. It came into being in 2008 after the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was not signed by the government, after it was initialed by government and MILF peace negotiators on July 27, 2008.
Habitual non-compliance of obligations by the government directly provide food to the radicals’ appetite, who after all want the peace negotiations to fail. Radicals, who promote narrow and superficial misinterpretations of what they hold true, do not believe in peaceful ways to resolve conflicts. They best thrive --- and enjoy --- in chaos, uncertainty, and destruction.
In the heels of the non-passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress, the radicals are laughing to their hearts full. They expect many hardliners to troop to and swell their ranks.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/editorial/item/768-civilians-must-be-spared-in-war
Of course, the BIFF’s spokesman denied they have killed civilians. He clarified that those slain were members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGUs), who he said are fair targets. We have not verified who is telling the truth, the military or the BIFF.
However, if the intention of the BIFF in launching these attacks is for media mileage, then it must not be at the expense of civilians. It is counter-productive and will not bring them any glad tiding. Under no circumstances, killing of civilians can be justified.
The MILF never wanted these unfortunate incidents to happen at all, but there is no way it can stop them. The BIFF is a separate group and does not take orders from the MILF. In fact, in a way, the BIFF was a protest action of its founder, the late Ameril Omra Kato, against the moderate stance of the MILF in solving the armed mess in Mindanao. It came into being in 2008 after the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was not signed by the government, after it was initialed by government and MILF peace negotiators on July 27, 2008.
Habitual non-compliance of obligations by the government directly provide food to the radicals’ appetite, who after all want the peace negotiations to fail. Radicals, who promote narrow and superficial misinterpretations of what they hold true, do not believe in peaceful ways to resolve conflicts. They best thrive --- and enjoy --- in chaos, uncertainty, and destruction.
In the heels of the non-passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress, the radicals are laughing to their hearts full. They expect many hardliners to troop to and swell their ranks.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/editorial/item/768-civilians-must-be-spared-in-war
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