MANILA — The largest Muslim separatist group in the Philippines was asked yesterday to demarcate its territories to avoid clashes with US and Filipino troops pursuing another guerilla group.
Some leaders of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a ceasefire pact with the government pending peace talks, have warned they would fire on US soldiers who enter their zones of influence.
US forces are in the Philippines on a mission to help their local counterparts eliminate the Abu Sayyaf, a small separatist group which has carried out a spate of kidnappings and has been linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
A government panel laying the groundwork for peace talks with the MILF would tell the Front to "have safety measures" to avoid the entry of US forces into their territories, chief government peace negotiator Eduardo Ermita said.
This would include setting markers on the ground to designate their areas and "coordination between (Philippine) field commanders and MILF field commanders to make sure that they will not let the Abu Sayyaf enter their territories while they are being pursued by the armed forces," Ermita said. "They should take precautions so they don’t get run over," Ermita said, adding that the government and the MILF would meet on the matter in the southern city of Cotabato on February 11.
Despite the ceasefire between the government and the MILF, sporadic clashes still break out.
Two government soldiers were killed and a private doctor was wounded in two separate attacks by suspected MILF guerillas in the south on Monday.
No reason was given for the two attacks.
