MNLF strikes in Sulu; 3 killed, 9 injured

By Ronron
April 14, 2007

A Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader who allegedly held hostage government officials inside his camp in Sulu last February led his followers in attacking a civilian community and a military camp in the same island province since Friday night, officials said yesterday.

Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan, spokesman of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), said Ustadz Habier Malik led “hundreds” of his men in firing mortars at Barangay Seit in Panamao town at around 11:30 pm last Friday for still unknown reasons.

Caculitan said the MNLF fighters, who are loyal to jailed MNLF chairman Nur Misuari, hit the Panamao Municipal Hall, and caused the death of a child, and the wounding of another.

Then, at 6am yesterday, the same group continued their mortar attacks against a detachment of the 11th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) in Barangay Tayungan of the same town.

“As of this time, the fighting is ongoing at our Tayungan detachment in Panamao, and our troops are defending it with much patriotism. So this has resulted into a major operation by the Philippine Marines in the area to stop this group of Habier Malik,” Caculitan said in Filipino.

He disclosed, however, that two soldiers died and eight others were wounded during the fighting, while casualties on the MNLF side is still undetermined.

“This is too much already. When he attacks populated community, when he suddenly attacks military detachments, we cannot take these sitting down… We should make him learn his lesson at this time,” Caculitan said.

Caculitan could not think of any definite reason for the attack, but he surmised, it could be in retaliation since Malik’s men could possibly be among those hurt during military offensives in Sulu against the Abu Sayyaf Group, Jemaah Islamiyah and other terrorist groups.

He said it is possible that the ASG and JI have colluded with the MNLF Breakaway Group and have sought refuge in their camps from time to time.

Caculitan also described Malik as a “bully” who carries out operation in the field even if his other fellow commanders oppose it.

Malik escaped prosecution even if he was strongly criticized for preventing peace negotiators of the government like Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino from leaving their camp in the same island province last February until the next tripartite meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Philippine government, and the MNLF is set on a definite date.

“There are 10 MNLF commanders who did not join Malik’s action. He might have political or other reasons which he failed to bring up to the peace negotiators’ level,” said Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) anti-terror Task Force Comet, in a separate statement.

But Rafael said that clearly, the attack is a “violation of the peace agreement between the government and the MNLF.”

“We will continue to adhere to the primacy of the 1996 peace agreement but we will suppress this lawlessness perpetrated by this group,” he said.

Under the agreement, the MNLF is supposed to cooperate with Philippine forces in the apprehension and neutralization of lawless and terrorist groups like the ASG and the JI.

Sulu Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Ahirun Ajirim said “several civilians” are already affected by the fighting and were evacuated to safer places./DMS