19 April 2009

A brief fire fight flared up last night between the freedom fighters of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF – MILF) and aggressive forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Guindulungan, Maguindanao.

Heavily armed MILF guerillas sneaked a surprise attack on the army detachment at Barangay Pansol, Guindulangan around 10 in the evening while AFP troops were relentlessly unleashing artillery bombardments. No report of casualty on both sides yet on this skirmish.

Mortars had been fired against suspected MILF positions in the municipalities of Guindulungan, Talayan, Datu Saudi, Datu Piang, Mamasapno, and Shairff Aguak in Maguindanao since early morning yesterday.

MILF forces reported the AFP fired their artilleries from early morning yesterday to early morning today. However, MILF guerillas said they are not being cowed by big offensives of AFP and even said they know how to counter AFP operations by employing guerilla attacks.

Accordingly, thousands of AFP troops had been deployed in Guindulungan, Talayan, Datu Saudi, Datu Piang, Mamasapno, and Shairff Aguak in Maguindanao to cordon the positions of the MILF.

MILF gathered information revealed a strong order was given to the AFP to destroy MILF forces in the area of responsibility of the 601st Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division, Philippine Army.

Continuing government military campaign to crush the MILF forces in Maguindanao started in August last year following the non-signing by the government of the initialed GRP –MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral (MOA-AD). Billions of pesos had been bankrolled to oil the AFP onslaught but MILF guerillas are still on the upper hand.

Billions-worth of properties and livelihood owned by Muslim civilians were also destroyed by the government military campaign for the last eight (8) months. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims, mostly children, were uprooted from their homes – a case of humanitarian tragedy due to obvious government failure.

“In the eyes of the world, the government is failing to address the humanitarian emergency it created to the Bangsamoro people down South of Philippines,” said a text message from an expert on human rights, who requested not to be identified.

Meanwhile, strong calls from IDPs and civil society groups to suspend the AFP operations, effectuate the GRP-MILF ceasefire and for international aid agencies and concerned institutions to intervene as practicable mount had been mounting.