COTABATO CITY, 5 April — Army troops yesterday raided the home of the peace negotiator of the country's biggest Moro separatist group over a kidnapping case, officials said.
Backed by armored personnel carriers, soldiers stormed into the home of Taps Jilhani, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) coordinating committee on cessation of hostilities, before dawn in this southern city of Cotabato.
The raid followed another a week ago in the town of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao, in which four "vacationing" MILF fighters were arrested.
MILF political affairs chief Ghadzali Jaafar warned the raid could affect the peace talks between the government and the MILF and said his group would be filing a formal complaint over the incident.
Army spokesman Maj. Julieto Ando said troops raided the residence of Jihani, along with other homes in the Muslim-dominated Kalanganan district, after members of an armed kidnapping gang were seen entering the area.
He said they were not aware Jilhani's home was among those raided.
Most of the suspects escaped, however. One man was arrested and three firearms seized, but not from Jilhani's home, Ando said.
Jilhani has said the raiding team did not appear to know who he was.
The raid comes after a similar incident last week when soldiers confiscated eight rifles from MILF commanders in the nearby town of Sultan Kudarat.
The MILF and the government forged a cease-fire last year to open the way for peace talks to end the 24-year Muslim separatist rebellion.
However in recent months, there have been accusations by both sides of cease-fire violations.
Military officials have previously accused the MILF of sheltering kidnap gangs that are not covered by the cease-fire.
The other raid
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu, meanwhile, expressed optimism that the military will eventually release the four separatist fighters arrested by army soldiers in a raid at Barangay Matingen in Sultan Kudarat town on March 26.
The raiding team confiscated eight pieces of firearms as well as personal belongings from the MILF men and other items owned by residents.
Kabalu said the MILF's peace brokers had already informed their counterparts from the government about the Front's "desire to settle the matter through peaceful arrangement in accordance with the letter and spirit of the peace talks."
"after all, the four MILF men were out on vacation and not for any other purposes," he reasoned out.
"This is probably the explanation why at the time of the raid none of the four were holding their firearms. In fact their firearms were kept and hidden inside the house," the spokesman added.
The four have been turned over by the military to the custody of the local government of Sultan Kudarat, with pending charges of illegal possession of firearms.
"It is honestly believed that illegal possession of firearms will not proper against the MILF forces since this is a case of rebellion where firearms is but part of the process itself," Kabalu justified.
