ZAMBOANGA CITY, 19 February 2005 — A Muslim rebel commander battling government troops on the southern island of Jolo said that his forces were open to a cease-fire but ready to fight to the end if the military doesn’t stop pursuing them.

“We’re on active defense. If they punch us, we will punch back,” Habir Malik, a follower of jailed rebel leader Nur Misuari, told the Associated Press by satellite phone late Thursday.

He said any cease-fire should be initiated by the government, otherwise “the killing will continue, the war would continue.” About 3,000 soldiers and marines have been pursuing Misuari’s followers — backed by Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf guerrillas — since they attacked an army detachment in Panamao town on Feb. 7, provoking clashes that killed 27 soldiers and wounded 72 others. Troops have killed 37 gunmen and wounded scores of others, the military said. The rebels claimed the attacks were retaliation for the deaths of several people, including a child, who were caught in crossfire when troops assaulted a community of Misuari’s followers while pursuing suspected Abu Sayyaf members.

“They are killing even children, women... if we don’t react, nothing will happen so we just reacted,” Malik said.

Abu Sayyaf Alliance

Jolo military chief Brig. Gen. Agustin Dema-ala denied the charges and said the rebels had planned the attacks to force the government to free Misuari, who is facing rebellion charges in Manila. He said the rebels had forged an alliance with the Al- Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group in Jolo.

“They long planned to attack government forces and they forged an alliance with the Abu Sayyaf group. They should surrender to us,” he said.

Malik denied that his group has banded with the Abu Sayyaf.

“We are against the Abu Sayyaf. I am against their activities. Their ways do not conform with Islam,” he added.

An Abu Sayyaf spokesman, Abu Solaiman, earlier claimed Abu Sayyaf militants have joined Misuari’s followers in fighting government troops to avenge the death of the child and its parents, who were related to some Misuari followers and Abu Sayyaf members.

Solaiman also claimed responsibility for the Valentine’s Day bombings in Manila and two other cities that killed seven people and wounded at least 123 others.

Hundreds of ecstatic soldiers hoisted the national flag Wednesday in Bitan-ag, a fortified hinterland camp near Panamao town that was wrested by troops from the rebels.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said she has given orders for soldiers keep up the pace of the hunt for the rebels, but Malik said they have not really been pursued by soldiers since they left Bitan-ag earlier this week “to avoid trouble.”

Misuari formerly headed the Moro National Liberation Front, or MNLF, a large separatist group that accepted limited autonomy and signed a peace accord with the government in 1996.

But violence reignited years later and Misuari was imprisoned near Manila on charges of rebellion.

Warning to Journalists

As the violence continued, the military yesterday warned foreign and local journalists covering the strife in Jolo to stay away from rebel strongholds following intelligence reports that they are targets for abduction by militants.

Civilians were also told not to travel or go in areas where the rebels operate, about 950 km south of Manila, because of the threats, military spokesman Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual.

“The threats are credible and among the targets are journalists, who are covering the fighting in Jolo. Aside from journalists, the rebels are also targeting civilians and local officials that they will use as shield against pursuing security forces or to divert the military operation,” Pascual told Arab News.

Sporadic fighting still continue in Jolo, although security forces have began clearing a huge area in the town of Panamao, scene of bloody confrontation between soldiers and rebel, he said. He said the situation on the island is still dangerous to civilians because of the presence of rebels and the ongoing government offensive. Pascual also contacted radio stations in the southern Philippines and appealed to journalists to stay away from Jolo.

The international news agency Agence France Presse has already pulled out its reporter in Jolo yesterday and the Associated Press people were also packing up after weeklong of dangerous coverage on the island. Only local television crew remained. Meanwhile, troops have arrested two Abu Sayyaf rebels believed to be involved in a series of kidnappings, including Europeans, officials said yesterday.

The suspects, identified as Nashid Tajid and Jubail Sahibul, were arrested separately on Thursday in Zamboanga City.