He said the rebels were suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorists who have linked up with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Misuari wing of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Defensor said troops from the Army’s 104th Brigade assaulted the rebel lair in Sultan Gumander, Lanao del Sur after the camp was pounded by two OB-10 planes, two MG-520 attack helicopters, 105-mm. howitzers and 81-mm. cannons.
Two attack helicopters and three infantry battalions were also dispatched to the Mt. Bagsak-Sinumaan complex in Patikul, Sulu to pursue Abu Sayyaf rebels who managed to kill 11 Marines and wound 26 others in an ambush on Saturday.
Defensor said he ordered the attack on Sultan Gumander after about 600 to 700 armed men were seen setting up bases on Mt. Palao since the last week of August up to last month.
"We will not allow this group to threaten the peace and order situation in Central Mindanao. I will destroy any armed group that will undermine government efforts to bring peace and development to Mindanao," Defensor said.
He said the action of the MILF constitute a violation of the peace agreement forged with the MILF which bars the establishment of unauthorized camps and possession of high-powered firearms.
"Such action of the MILF constitute a violation of the peace agreement for establishing unauthorized camps and conduct unauthorized training including possession of high-powered firearms," Defensor said.
Hapilon, whose brother was killed in a gun fight in Zamboanga City last month, is suspected of planing the Oct. 2 bombing that killed four people, including an American trooper.
Maj. Gen. Alfonso Dagudag, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said three Arab-looking foreigners were also sighted inside the camp.
The military said the presence of the group in the area threatens not only town residents but also the P620-million Aurora-Zamboanga del Sur road project and the P40-million Sultan Gumander road project which will link Central and Western Mindanao.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied that the MILF was harboring Hapilon and that the rebel group had established a "provisional government" in the area but admitted that there were indeed MILF forces in the area.
"We have more than a thousand men in the area," Kabalu told The Freeman Mindanao, adding the rebels in the area belonged to the MILF’s 108th Base Command (formerly known as the MILF 4th Division) under Commander Sawak and Commander Aloy.
Kabalu said at least four battalions of government troops are on their way to the community from Sultan Gumander and Pualas in Lanao del Sur and Nunungan in Lanao del Norte.
Kabalu said the attack has triggered massive evacuation of residents from the three towns, who fear that the renewed hostilities might trigger another all-out war.
But Dagudag said that there are no evacuations of civilians in the area of operation "since the camp site of the MILF and the surrounding areas are not inhabited."
But Brig. Gen. Renato Miranda, chief of Marine Forces South, said the Saturday encounter was only the first phase of their operation.
"We assure you we will get them," vowed Miranda, who is commanding the joint operations of the 33rd Marine Company, 62nd Fast Reaction Company, 31st Marine Company and 23rd Marine Company.
Meanwhile, two suspected Abu Sayyaf members escaped Saturday morning from their detention cell at the Metro Manila Rehabilitation Center (MMRC) inside Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.
The detainees were identified as Anni Sailani alias Ali, 31, and his brother, Iting, 25, alias Midzpar Kiram.
The Sailanis were detained at the MMRC along with suspected Abu Sayyaf leader Hector Janjalani and 129 other ASG members at the MMRC.
The Sailanis were among the first batch of 73 suspected Abu Sayyaf members arrested in Sumisip, Basilan on kidnapping charges. They were brought to Camp Bagong Diwa last Dec. 8, 2001, said case investigator Senior Jail Officer (SJO) 2 Reyland Tabios.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina immediately ordered an investigation upon learning of the Sailanis’ escape, Tabios added.
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology regional director Senior Superintendent Clarito Jover immediately relieved MMRC chief warden Supt. Romeo Vio of his post. Vio was replaced by Supt. Jorge Pelania.
The guards on duty, JO1s Jerik Pilapil, Danilo Untanillas, and Joseph Villegas, have been restricted from going out of camp and have been detained at the MMRC office while undergoing investigation, Tabios said.
According to Tabios, initial investigation showed the Sailanis managed to escape at around 11:45 am, after they reportedly wore traditional Muslim shawls.
Three women reportedly went to visit the brothers last Saturday. They were also reportedly wearing the traditional Muslim garb. Regular visiting hours at the MMRC are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
After the women left, the jail officers noticed that the two detainees were already missing.
Tabios said investigators are not dismissing the possibility that the jail guards connived with the Sailanis for the detainees’ escape.
Pilapil, Untanillas, and Villegas will be charged with infidelity in the custody of prisoners before the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office today, Tabios said.
Administrative charges for gross neglect against the three could also be filed before Jover’s office if the investigation showed that the jail guards colluded with the suspected Abu Sayyaf members, Tabios said.
Tabios added that authorities are still conducting a thorough follow-up investigation into the incident. – With Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Nikko Dizon