Soldiers halt Janjalani hunt due to Ramadhan

COTABATO CITY — Soldiers running after Abu Sayyaf bandits in three neighboring Maguindanao towns have started pulling out to pave the way for the return of evacuees and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels displaced by the offensives in deference to Ramadhan, which starts next week.

During the Ramadhan, which lasts for one lunar cycle, or 30 days, Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk as a religious obligation.

Combatants of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division began running after the group of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadafy Janjalani at the boundary of Guindulungan, Talayan and South Upi towns last July 1 and have since killed eight of his followers in one encounter after another.

MILF rebels agreed to reposition themselves away from the area in keeping with the front’s ceasefire agreement with the military.

Marine Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, chief of the Ad-Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), said the displaced MILF guerrillas have been allowed to return to their camps in the three towns to peacefully observe the Ramadhan.

The AHJAG is composed of military and MILF representatives monitoring the presence of criminals and terrorists in areas covered by the ceasefire.

"MILF guerillas have started returning to the camps they have abandoned in keeping with the ceasefire, but strictly without their firearms," Dolorfino said.

Dolorfino said government and MILF peace brokers also agreed in a meeting last week to jointly establish a ceasefire monitoring station at Ahan district in South Upi.

The MILF’s news website, http://www.luwaran.com, reported last week that Janjalani and his men have already fled Maguindanao and could now be hiding in the surrounding provinces.