Thousands flee as soldiers, MILF members clash in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Thousands of civilians have fled their homes following fierce clashes between security forces and members of the former rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

The fighting broke out on Tuesday, Nov. 8, in the town of Unkaya Pukan and sporadic clashes continued with local media reports claiming that four soldiers had been captured and beheaded by MILF forces. But this was strongly denied by Army Lt. Col. Abdurasad Sirajan, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command. “Not true,” he told The Mindanao Examiner without further elaborating.

 

Official reports of casualties from both sides were not immediately available, but radio station dxNO reported that five MILF members were killed and that five army soldiers wounded in the clashes. The MILF has confirmed the fighting that forced nearly 1,500 families to flee from at least six villages.

 

“The armed encounter between the Philippine Army's 101st Infantry Brigade and elements of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces on Nov. 8 in Barangay Ulitan in Ungkaya Pukan was an unfortunate incident that no one desired to happen, especially during the implementation of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro and while the peace process' dividends started to be felt by the people,” said Mohagher Iqbal, head of the MILF’s peace panel.

 

He called on both sides to immediately stop fighting to prevent the situation from escalating and ensure the safety of the civilians. He also urged the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, to leave no stone unturned and thoroughly investigate the situation to ensure similar incidents will not happen again.

 

“Rest assured that, in partnership with the Government Peace Panel, the MILF Peace Panel will strengthen the various peace mechanisms on the ground and implore them to uphold the principle of jointness and ensure that decisions shall always be bilateral in character. I also assure our partners and the peacebuilding community that the MILF is firmly committed to implementing the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro and realizing long-term peace, justice and prosperity in the Bangsamoro,” Iqbal said.

 

Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman also urged the military and the MILF to cease fighting. “Nanawagan tayo ng isang agarang ceasefire sa pagitan ng mga nagtutungaling puwersa sa aming lalawigan ngayon para sa kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan na maaaring madamay sa palitan ng putukan at para hindi na lumala pa ang sitwasyon,” he said.

 

“Ngayon, ang tanong sa ating isipan, bakit nangyari pa ang mga ganitong engkwentro? Buong akal natin ay wala nang giyera sa pagitan ng AFP at MILF dahil may kasunduan na para sa kapayapaan at nariyan na ang Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao na pinamumunuan ng MILF, pero bakit nagkaroon pa ng karahasan sa pagitan ng puwersa ng pamahalaan at MILF?” asked Hataman, whose elder brother Jim Salliman is the provincial governor.

 

The 101^st Infantry Brigade and the 1^st Infantry Division have not released any reports or statement about the clashes or what triggered the fighting which occurred the same day that unidentified gunmen killed four people, one of them Abaas Jangkatan, a suspected Abu Sayyaf fighter, in the September 15 ambush of three soldiers in Al-Barka town, also a known stronghold of the MILF. The victims were asleep on a makeshift stage in Lamitan City when the gunmen sprayed them with automatic weapons. (Mindanao Examiner)