ZAMBOANGA CITY – Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces attacked and wounded 2 soldiers in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.
Army Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, commander of the 101st Infantry Brigade, said MILF gunmen occupied a portion of the remote village of Sukaten in Sumisip town, triggering fears and panic among civilians.
Gobway said the gunmen even put up a signage which claimed it as an MILF area. “This is a violation of the peace process,” he said. “Dapat hindi sila dapat nag-expand ng kanilang area of temporary stay at bawal silang magdala ng baril sa labas ng kanilang area of temporary stay.”
He said village officials have complained to the military and even issued a resolution opposing the presence of the MILF in the village. Municipal officials also issued a similar resolution and sought assistance from the military.
He said soldiers were sent to the area, but gunmen opened fire on the troops, sparking a firefight that left 2 infantrymen wounded. The fighting occurred early this week.
“We told the MILF to leave the area because it is illegal for them to go beyond their camp. Instead of heeding the order, the MILF sent reinforcement and gunmen attacked our soldiers and wounded two of them,” Gobway said.
He said some 50 MILF gunmen clashed with soldiers.
There was no immediate statement from the MILF which signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014, ending decades of bloody fighting in the restive region.
But despite the accord, MILF members have not totally surrendered their weapons and continue to maintain camps in various parts of the southern Philippines, mostly in the troubled Muslim autonomous region whose interim Chief Minister is Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)
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