JEDDAH/MANILA: Philippine Air force planes bombarded Muslim rebel positions yesterday in a southern province in a bid to flush out a commander who led deadly attacks last week, a military report said.
The bombings were focused on the encampments of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commander Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, in Lanao del Norte province, 810 km south of Manila.
Meanwhile, Organization of the Islamic Conferenc (OIC) expressed its deep concern over the recent outbreak of hostilities in the Muslim region of Mindanao in southern Philippines, giving rise to a military standoff between the Philippine government military forces and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The secretary-general of OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, said “wayward elements” affiliated with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front committed “illegitimate acts” by causing a confrontation with the Philippine military.
He also called on the Philippine government to put an end to its military operations in the region which inflicted tremendous damage among civilians.
The airstrikes occurred a day after five MILF rebels were killed and 10 wounded in a three-hour clash with government troops in Piagapo town in Lanao del Norte.
Five soldiers were also wounded in the fighting. Military command chief Brig. Gen. Jorge Segovia said authorities were trying to verify reports that Bravo was wounded in the offensive and was being treated in the predominantly Muslim city of Marawi in nearby Lanao del Sur province.
“We have yet to receive confirmation on the report,” he said. Segovia said the military offensive was expected to continue throughout the month of Ramadan, which starts Sept. 1.
“We have not attained our objective, so the operation will continue,” he said. Bravo and hundreds of his men attacked five towns in Lanao del Norte earlier in the month, resulting in the killing of at least 40 people with scores wounded.
Another military offensive was ongoing in nearby Maguindanao province to flush out another MILF commander, Ameril Umbra Kato, who occupied 15 villages two weeks ago in North Cotabato province, triggering a three-day firefight with government security forces.
Amid the military offensive, presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the government and the MILF peace panels were preparing to hold a meeting to discuss the mandate of an international team monitoring a 2003 cease-fire.
The international monitoring team’s (IMT) mandate is to expire on Sunday, raising fears of more fighting.
“Without the IMT, it would be very difficult although we can maintain the cease-fire and the peace process itself,” Esperon said.
“At this time, we are setting up the necessary meetings. The venue will either be in the Philippines or Kuala Lumpur.”
Esperon said Malaysia would facilitate the meeting to discuss the extension of the mandate of the monitoring team, which is composed of troops from Malaysia, Brunei, Libya and Japan.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council said close to 340,000 people have been displaced in the hostilities that started after the Supreme Court blocked a controversial territorial deal between the government and the MILF.
The botched agreement on ancestral domain would have added 735 villages to the existing six-province Muslim autonomous region on strife-torn Mindanao, the Philippines’ main southern island. The Philippine government eventually scrapped the deal amid strong opposition by Catholic politicians, but the MILF insisted that the government should honor the agreement, which was negotiated for more than four years.
— With inputs from agencies
