AFP launches air assault; 26 hostages rescued

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines– The military launched air strikes yesterday to flush out rebels of the Nur Misuari faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the embattled zone of this city.

Two MG520 attack helicopters unleashed two rounds of rockets after noon towards the rebel position at sitio Lustre in barangay Sta. Catalina.

The air assault came following a brief lull from the ground offensive being conducted by government troops.

It was the first time government forces staged an air assault since the standoff started eight days ago.

There was no immediate report of any casualty during the air strike even as troops were deployed to verify the result of the air assault.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, public affairs officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), confirmed that the MG520 attack helicopters conducted air support for ground troops.

“Those were close air support to suppress the enemy position as directed by the ground commander,” Zagala said.

Zagala said the rebels’ death toll reached 61, with at least 70 captured and an undetermined number wounded since MNLF rebels took over several barangays in Zamboanga City last Sept. 9.

Officials said six soldiers, three policeman, and six civilians have been killed and more than 60 government troops wounded.

Soldiers rescued last night 26 civilian hostages that were used as human shields in barangay Sta. Catalina.

The rescued hostages that included men, women and children were recovered near sitio Lustre.

The hostages were immediately transported out of the battle zone to the headquarters of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) headquarters at Camp Battalla.

One of the rescuing soldiers told newsmen on the ground that they observed remains littered in the area but could not immediately ascertain if those were of the rebels or civilians who were trapped in the gun battle.

President Aquino remained in Zamboanga City to oversee military operations against the MNLF.

Aquino flew to the city on Friday to personally assess the situation and ensure that the more than 80,000 evacuees would be taken care of.

Aquino decided to stay in Zamboanga to find an early resolution to the conflict without sacrificing the lives of the hostages.

Government forces arrested five suspected MNLF rebels who wore military uniforms on board a private vehicle along Martha Drive in barangay Sta. Catalina. The suspects were brought to the police station for investigation. 

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said some MNLF members tried to escape from the government assault by wearing civilian clothes to blend in with residents.

He said that one rebel was captured after he was intercepted with several civilians. The rebel was carrying a rosary. Soldiers arrested the suspect when he was asked to pray Our Father and he failed to say the prayer. 

Roxas said that as of Sunday night, 70 MNLF fighters were captured in barangays Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo and Sta. Barbara.

He said the military and police have entered the area previously controlled by the MNLF.

“This is after three days or four days of containment and three days of constriction, and they are now there engaging the MNLF fighters,” Roxas said. 

Another fire

Another fire broke out at sitio Lustre where several houses were gutted.

This was the eighth fire incident that hit the city since the MNLF attacked local communities.

Authorities believed the series of fire incidents were set off by the rebels to delay the government offensive to finally flush out the remaining holdouts in several areas in Sta. Catalina and Sta. Barbara.

City Fire Marshal Senior Superintendent Dominador Zabala Jr. said their personnel have been limited to keeping the conflagration from spreading.

He said rebel snipers have been harassing firemen responding to the fires.

Zabala said since day one of the atrocities, they have not yet tallied the exact figure of houses and other structures damaged by fire.

“The presence of the rebels firing on our personnel and fire trucks and equipment has prevented us,” Zabala said.

The MNLF rebels’ original plan in attacking Zamboanga City was not to raise the MNLF flag in line with the declaration of the Bangsamoro Republik’s independence last month by Misuari, but to torch and flatten the entire city.

This was bared yesterday by a Sulu-based security official who said that the MNLF rebels held a series of meetings held in Talipao, Sulu last month.

The source said the MNLF rebels were misled by two Caucasian-looking guests that their planned “adventure” to Zamboanga City was sanctioned by the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“Most of the MNLF rebels who are now here in Zamboanga were made to believe that their actions are valid because it is sanctioned by the UN and the OIC,” the security official said.

The two Caucasian-looking men, who were not connected with the UN or the OIC whatsoever, the source said, even handed out cash to the rebels. 

On top of this the two also provided some firearms to the rebels.

He added: “The raising of an MNLF flag at the Zamboanga City Hall. as the rebels claimed, was just a decoy. The original plan really was to torch and flatten the entire city.”

The source said that several warlords who were also former MNLF commanders supported the Zamboanga attack.

Military officials have placed Southern Mindanao on heightened alert status to prevent the spillover of the hostilities from Zamboanga City.

Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Ranier Cruz said authorities have not monitored any movement of MNLF members in Southern Mindanao.

Cruz said even if no movement of the MNLF members here have been monitored, still the region has been placed under heightened alert due to the possible spillover of the Zamboanga hostilities.

Maj. Gen. Ariel Bernardo, 10th Infantry Division commander, said that their line of communications with key MNLF leaders in the regions of Davao and Sarangani has been kept open and that they are in constant coordination with them since last week.

Muslim lawmakers appealed yesterday to the OIC to intervene in the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City.

Sulu Rep. Tupay Loong, chairman of the House committee on Muslim affairs, and Maguindanao Rep. Sandra Sema, said the OIC is one of the overseers of the Mindanao peace process so it could take a more active role to end the crisis.

Sema is the wife of Muslimin Sema, the head of another MNLF faction.

“As Muslims, we wish to appeal to the Muslim Ummah through the OIC, to intervene in the name of Islam, to end the war and save more human lives and properties,” the lawmakers said in a press conference, where they read their joint statement.

They said the OIC’s intervention is needed so the hard-won peace in Mindanao would not be totally lost.

The lawmakers also called for an immediate ceasefire by both government forces and rebels.

Iloilo City Rep. Jerry Treñas appealed to critics to let the government resolve the crisis undistracted.

He said critics have been “nitpicking the President’s style in handling the problem although they themselves cannot provide any constructive solution which would help convince the MNLF men to lay down their arms and surrender to authorities.” – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Aurea Calica, Paolo Romero, Jaime Laude, Edith Regalado