MILF: Civilian killed, 4 minors hurt in military offensive vs. Abu Sayyaf

MANILA, Philippines - One civilian was killed and four minors were hurt in military offensives against the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan last week, an article posted on the website of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said.

The article, published in luwaran.com on Wednesday, identified the slain civilian as Julamri Bapakil and the wounded minors as Adzmar Abdurahim, 14, Hudri Julamri, 16, Basri Pamasad, 17, and Jihad Abdurajim, 17.

Luwaran.com is the official website of the MILF Central Committee on Information.

“The movement of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) soldiers was not in any way coordinated with CCCH (Coordinating Committees on Cessation of Hostilities) neither the military informed the AHJAG (Ad Hoc Joint Action Group),” the article read.

The CCCH oversees the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF while the AHJAG isolates and interdicts lawless groups in Mindanao.

Citing reports from the ground, the article said three MILF members had been slain during the clashes namely Buka Kerok, Soy Tarung and Mohammad Soh. The encounter also left a certain Totong Ausal and Muthim Imam wounded, the article added.

The military previously reported that two soldiers and as much as 18 Abu Sayyaf bandits were killed in clashes that transpired last April 11 in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan.

Security forces launched raids against the Abu Sayyaf last week after receiving reports about the bandits’ extortion activities in the area.

Officials said 31 soldiers and 14 terrorists had been injured during the gun battles, which lasted for hours.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista revealed on Tuesday that some MILF members were involved in the Basilan clashes.

“Individual MILF members acted on their own and not the MILF as a group per e because they have relatives in the Abu Sayyaf,” he said.

The luwaran.com article said the encounter could have been avoided had the military coordinated with the ceasefire panels and the International Monitoring Team.

Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Cpt. Maria Rowena Muyuela said they have yet to validate the article’s claim about the civilian casualties.

She revealed though that they had received information that two children were hurt due to the offensives.

“We found out later that they are not children but teenagers. One of them is 14 years old while the other is 17 years old,” Muyuela said.

Muyuela claimed that the local government and the military had offered to provide medical assistance to the wounded teenagers.

“We offered help but they refused because the injuries were just minor,” she added.

Muyuela said it is possible that the two teenagers are child warriors, noting that they were found in the encounter site.

She, however, could not tell what group is possibly employing the minors as soldiers.

Muyuela said they always implement measures to ensure the safety of civilians during their operations.

“When we conduct operation, we make sure that there are no civilians in the target area,” she said.

Muyuela claimed that the military actions in Basilan were properly coordinated with authorities. (with reports from A. Perez and R. Mendoza)