13 MILF rebs killed in new Maguindanao clash

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — Thirteen suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels were killed while a civilian was wounded in a gunbattle along the Narciso Ramos Highway in Matanog, this province, on Sunday.

The attacks came separately after the MILF rebels attacked Siocon town in Zamboanga del Norte last Sunday.

In the latest development, the military in Siocon reported yesterday that the death toll rose to 34 as pursuit operations intensified for the recovery of more than 30 remaining hostages.

MILF rebels also separately attacked the police headquarters in Pikit, North Cotabato with M-79 grenades. No one was reported killed or wounded in the attack but the incident triggered a running gunbattle between government forces and the rebel.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the sporadic clashes in Matanog erupted when the rebels ambushed an Army 6 x 6 truck in Barangay Campo Dos.

The military truck was on its way to Camp Abubakar, the former stronghold of the MILF which fell into government control following the massive military offensive against the rebels in 2001.

The rebels reportedly opened fire with B-40 anti-tank rockets and rifle fire, wounding a still unidentified hitchhiker.

Soldiers escorting the truck managed to return fire, killing eight of the attackers, who were mostly in their teens.

Just as the soldiers were engaged in a gunbattle with their ambushers, another group of rebels swooped down on an Army detachment in nearby Barangay Sapad, also in Matanog.

Officials said the rebels retreated to the hills after running out of ammunition.

The rebels likewise attacked a village in Kabacan, North Cotabato firing at houses with automatic rifles.

Col. Cardozo Luna, commander of the Army’s 602nd Brigade, said no one was killed or wounded during the attack.

Meanwhile, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu yesterday said the attacks were meant to cripple the Army battalion headquarters in the area but the fighting spilled over the town center.

He said the attacks are in retaliation for the military offensive last February that led to the capture of Buliok complex, their main stronghold in Pikit, North Cotabato.

Kabalu warned of more attacks if the military will not pull out of Buliok and if the government would not drop the murder charges against MILF leaders for the recent bombings of the airport and wharf in Davao City that left 38 people dead and at least 159 wounded.

Following the spate of bombings that hit Davao in less than a month, President Arroyo said the government is committed to continue talking peace with the rebels in a dialogue brokered by Kuala Lumpur.

Mrs. Arroyo, however, described the Siocon attack last Sunday as an act of terrorism and demanded the MILF to hand over the attackers to the government ahead of the peace talks planned in Malaysia.

Mrs. Arroyo said she has asked government negotiators to demand "a full renunciation of terrorism" from MILF leaders in "exploratory" peace talks in the Malaysian capital from May 9 to 11.

But while the government remains committed to talk with the MILF, any peace effort "will not get in the way of the conduct of intensive military operation," Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said.

"The people of Siocon had been violated, they’ve been victimized and justice will be done," he said. "We will not let this crime go unpunished."

For his part, House defense committee chairman Rep. Prospero Pichay (Surigao del Sur) called on the government to shelve peace negotiations with the MILF and declare an all-out war.

Pichay said the peace talks should be postponed "until the MILF shows genuine willingness to enter into peace negotiations and abide by its terms."

He said the demands made by the MILF is a form of blackmail.

"The government should not allow itself to be blackmailed into granting concessions to the MILF. Their demands for a return of their military camps smacks of blackmail instead of reasonable political propaganda," Pichay said.— With Roel Pareño, Mike Frialde, AFP