COTABATO CITY, 21 July — Moro separatists yesterday accused a Philippine Army unit of violating a cease-fire agreement by attacking a rebel position in Lanao del Sur province on Friday.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) filed the complaint with a joint committee monitoring the cease-fire between the government and the revolutionary group.
Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said it was clear that the clash in Poona Bayabao town erupted when an army unit attacked an MILF camp in the southern town.
Kabalu had earlier acknowledged that eight of their fighters were killed in the attack, and that the local commander, Jamael Taha, was captured by soldiers.
An army report o Friday had said the soldiers were patrolling the area on Friday came under fire from 30 “heavily armed lawless elements” and fought back. It denied an MILF claim that four soldiers were killed.
Kabalu on Saturday did not dispute the military’s claim that not one soldier was killed. He said this only showed that the soldiers raided the MILF camp.
“If they came under fire, they should have suffered more casualties,” Kabalu said, disputing the army’s account.
“They really attacked the position of Jamael,” he said, describing the soldiers as strafing the homes of MILF members.
The government and the rebels have agreed to a truce while peace negotiations are underway.
The MILF is fighting for a separate homeland in the southern Philippines for the Muslim minority in the area.
