Gov’t, MILF to verify JI presence in C. Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO , Philippines – Representatives of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), along with members of the International Monitoring Team, is launching today an on-site verification of the alleged presence of foreign terrorists in this province and Lanao del Sur.

The initiative will begin with a symbolic kick-off “kanduli,” a Moro thanksgiving rite, in the form of a “boodle fight” at the headquarters of the Army’s 603rd Infantry Brigade at Camp Iranun in Barira town.

Camp Iranun used to be a bastion of the MILF known as Camp Abubakar Assidique, and is now a peace zone guarded by the 603rd IB.

The joint verification was supposed to start last week, but was reportedly deferred on the behest of the MILF’s ceasefire committee and the Ad-Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

The joint government-MILF ceasefire committee and the AHJAG, composed of representatives of the rebel group, the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces, help enforce the anti-crime thrusts of the ceasefire agreement in potential flashpoint areas in Mindanao.

Col. Noli Orense, 603rd IB commanding officer, and his staff will lead the sendoff at Camp Iranun for the joint verification team, which will go to the hinterlands and suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) hideouts in Central Mindanao with the help of local officials and religious and traditional leaders.

Senior officers of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division told The STAR yesterday that they are optimistic that the joint verification will allay apprehensions on the alleged presence of JI members in Central Mindanao.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza and Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, in separate e-mailed statements, said they support the joint verification mission of the government, the MILF, and the Malaysian-led IMT.

The IMT, composed of soldiers and policemen from Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, and Indonesia, and non-uniformed conflict-resolution and rehabilitation experts from Japan, Norway and the European Union, has been monitoring the implementation of the July 1997 government-MILF agreement on cessation of hostilities.