UP Ibalon Bicol: Basilan

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GMA orders to "annihilate" the Abu Sayyaf rebels; Erap vowed to "pulverize" them

8/16/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

It’s like the grand order of then Pres. Erap Estrada who vowed to “pulverize” the Islamic militants of Mindanao during his tenure. The ambitious "pulverization" till now is still a pipe dream. The dangerous Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf are strong as ever. They still freely operate with such impunity in Mindanao.

After the bloodbath in Basilan this week, Arroyo did her own saber-rattling----ostensibly vowing to annihilate the Moslem bandits responsible for the recent blatant killings. Faced with a humiliating casualties, she had to deal with the skirmish which left 50 people dead, 23 of whom are miltary men, including two army officers.

Abu Sayyaf, in cahoots with some MILF elements are reesponsible. These militants have been done hostage-taking and murders in the past under the noses of government forces. Arroyo and her military men therefore have strong reasons to raise their battle warnngs and execute them.

"The war against terror must be pursued. The annihilation of the Abu Sayyaf must be done,” Mrs. Arroyo told a command conference of security officials led by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Victor Ibrado at the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) headquarters here."---Philstar (08/16/09)

Pres. Arroyo assuages the public’s grief for the 23 military men who died. Attempting to shore-up the morale of the soldiers and their bereaved relatives, her order of “rapid annihilation” seems hard to realize.

Poverty fuels the discontent of the people in Southern Philippines. The bandits have support from the community where they operate, posing a big obstacle in defeating the terrorists. The Islamic rebels reflect the futility of force which makes violence a losing instrument of peace. (Photo Credit: Alvin Chan) =0=

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Labels: Abu Sayyaf, Basilan, casualty, Islamic militants, killings, MILF, MILF camps, military, Mindanao, Mindanao conflict, Mindanao war, Morolandia, Totie Mesia

Basilan gunbattle kills 23 government soldiers

8/14/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

Twenty three (23) military men died in a recent bloody clash with Abu Sayyaf fighters in Basilan, Mindanao on Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Government troops attacked the Moslem stronghold of Abu Sayyaf and engaged more than a hundred rebels in a day-long gunbattle leaving at least 21 militants dead.

Two young officers from the Army died among the 23 soldiers and another 22 were reported to have been wounded. The two were identified the junior Army officers as First Lieutenant Chester Barela of the Philippine Military Academy Class 2004 and First Lieutenant Dhel Jhun Evangelista (PMA Class 2006). The family of the officers have been informed.

The recent casualties bring to mind the fatalies on July 20, 2007 when 14 Marines were killed while trying to rescue Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi. Military men also died during attempts to rescue three Internatioal Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers kidnapped in Jolo, Sulu in January 2009. The three were eventually released by Abu Sayyaf captors after months of hostage negotiations.

The Abu Sayyaf is a notorious group of Islamic bandits with obscure socio-poliical objectives and mantains ties with the terrorist group Al Qaeda. (Photo Credit: Charlie Saceda) =0=

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Labels: Abu Sayyaf, Al Qaeda, Basilan, Islamic militants, militant, Mindanao, Mindanao conflict, Moslem, terrorism, Toti Mesia

Sri Lankan hostage freed, but Italian ICRC humanitarian worker still under Abu Sayyaf hands

6/04/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

After 3 months in captivity in Basilan, Omar Jaleel, the 36 year-old Sri Lankan community worker affiliated with the non partisan group Nonviolent Peaceforce was released by Abu Sayyaf bandits.

However, the ailing Eugenio Vagni, the Italian humanitarian worker of the International Committee of the Red Cross snatched last January 15, 2009 is still being held by the same group of militants in the hinterlands of Jolo, Sulu. In spite of a reward money of P500,000 for information about his location, nobody is sure of his whereabouts. His companions Swiss Adreas Notter and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba have been set free.

The Abu Sayyaf is a notorious Islamic group of about 400 fighters with links to Al Qaeda which abducts innocent civilians to raise funds. The government says the bandits collected about $1.5 million as ransom money from victims last year. (Photo Credit: Sheltercrow) =0=

RELATED BLOGS: "9 hostages are still captives of Abu Sayyaf bandits Mindanao" Posted by mesiamd at 4/21/2009; "ICRC hostage crisis: Abu Sayyaf’s Swiss captive freed" Posted by mesiamd at 4/18/2009

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Labels: Abu Sayyaf, Basilan, Eugenio Vagni, hostages, ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, Jolo, Omar Jaleel, Sri Lanka, Sulu, Totie Mesia

9 hostages are still captives of Abu Sayyaf bandits Mindanao

4/21/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

Philippine government forces intensified their search for Italian Eugenio Vagni, the remaining International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) humanitarian worker who is still under the clutches of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Abu Sayyaf kidnappers holed in the jungles of Jolo, Sulu, From the jungles of Mindanao, Vagni’s two companions Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba and Swiss Andreas Notter had been released from captivity in January 15, 2009.

Aside for Vagni, however there are other Mindanao hostages who escape the attention of the media, government and the Filipino people. In Basilan, there are nine kidnapped victims of the Islamic terrorists who need to be rescued. All of them are Filipinos except one who is a Sri Lankan citizen:

Hostages:

1. Umar Jaleel, Sri Lankan volunteer, Nonviolent Peaceforce, abducted February 13,
2009, Lamitan, Basilan
2. Rafael Mayonato, teacher, abducted January 23, 2009 in Landang Gua,
Zamboanga
3. Quizon Freires. teacher, abducted January 23, 2009 in Landang Gua,
Zambuanga
4. Janette de los Reyes, abducted January 23, 2009 in Landang Gua,
Zamboanga
5. Diokhing Que, store owner, abducted February 2, 2009, Jolo, Sulu.
6. Jocelyn Enriquez, teacher, abducted March 13, 2009, Naga, Zamboanga
Sibugay
7. Jocelyn Inion, teacher, abducted March 13, 2009, Naga, Zambuaonga
Sibugay
8. Noemi Mande, teacher, abducted March 13, 2009, Naga, Zamboanga,
Sibugay
9. Lea Patriz, NGO worker, Kinaiyahan Foundation, Lamitan, Basilan

All the above kidnapped victims are believed to be holed in Basilan by Abu Sayyaf bandits who demand ransom for their release. Earlier, ex-hostage Octavio Dimampo, a teacher in Mindanao asked why less effort is given to the Basilan hostages compared to the ICRC kidnapped victims in Sulu. Dimampo is right to be concerned of the other innocent hostages who deserve their freedom from the Muslim thugs. They are as notorious as their barbaric beheadings and inhumane treatment of human beings. (Photo Credit: Charlie Saceda) =0=

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Labels: Abu Sayyaf, Basilan, Diokhing Que, hostages, ICRC, Janette de los Santos, Jocelyn Enriquez, Jocelyn Inion, Lea Patriz, Mindanao, Moemi Mande, Quizon Freires, Rafael Mayonato, Totie Mesia, Umar Jaleel

Muslim religious leaders must also seek the release of Red Cross workers

2/26/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

Islamic religious leaders have climbed the mountains of Sampinit in Mindanao to seek the freedom of Umar Jaleel, a peaceworker from Sri Lanka who was abducted by nine armed men believed to be part of the notorious Abu Sayaff group led by Puruji Indama.

“Because the victim is also a Muslim preacher, the Muslim religious leaders went to the mountains to negotiate for his release,” according to the member of the group trying to solve the crisis." ---Philstar (02/25, 09, Pareno, R)

Basilan Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul who heads the provincial crisis management committee says Ulamas who believe hostage-taking is against Islam are out to seek the release of Jaleel, a Muslim.

If kidnapping is against their beliefs, these religious leaders must work for the freedom of other innocent victims---like Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, the three International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) humanitarian workers being held in Sulu, Mindanao since they were forcibly snatched in January 15, 2009. At the time of kidnapping they were doing charity work for prisoners in the area. (Photo Credit: AmUnivers) =0=

UPDATE:“Please tell them, if possible, if they can, to quicken the process. It has become very hard and truly painful. Physically and emotionally, it’s really very, very hard,” said Mary Jean Lacaba, the Filipino captive in the ICRC kidnapping said in a phone interview last Feb 25, 2009.---PDI (02/28/09, de la Cruz, A)

RELATED BLOG: "Three kidnapped Red Cross workers still missing in Mindanao" Posted by mesiamd at 1/21/2009

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Labels: Abu Sayyaf, Basilan, hostages, ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, Islamic militants, kidnapping, Mindanao, terrorism, Toti Mesia, Umar Jaleel

The Al-Barka Incident Where Trapped Marines Were Killed And Beheaded

11/19/2008 | Posted by myty555 | Edit Post

The good thing about the ICG Report is it is able to narrate in authoritative and balanced way shrouded and controversial happenings that happened within the context of the Mindanao conflict. Let us read their version of the Al-Barka incident where trapped Marines (their vehicle bogged down) got trapped, were overran and where the majority was beheaded. Al-Barka is a new town on the southeast portion of Basilan.

From ICG Asia Report No. 152 (May 14, 2008):

"...On 10 June 2007, Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, an Italian priest, was kidnapped from his parish in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay province. MILF forces helping in the search for Bossi stood down at the end of the month, expressing concern that a mistaken encounter might occur in the absence of a clear AHJAG mandate, since it had expired on 21 June. Ten days later, those fears were realized in Al-Barka.

"Basilan's unique volatility arises from the fact that the small island is home to all three main separatist rebellions -- MNLF, MILF and ASG. Clans are often involved in all three networks, as well as local electoral politics, where access to high-powered firearms is at a premium. Acting on the information that Fr. Bossi had been sighted in Al-Barka municipality, Philippines marines set out on patrol on the morning of 10 July 2007.

"Two days earlier, Basilan marine commander Col. Romeo Alivio told Crisis Group that unusually large formations of armed men--several hundred strong--had been making their presence felt in the area for some months. Rather than attempting to distinguish their component members, which could have involved a complicated "paper trail" with the ceasefire committee, Alivio chose to regard them as undifferentiated "lawless elements". As his men turned back for base camp with no sign of Bossi, a truck bogged down in the mud, and following standard operating procedure, marines fanned out around the vehicle to secure the perimeter. The site--in Guinanta village--is the location of two of the MILF's three brigade commands in Basilan. Unknown to the marines, MILF forces were closely observing their movements. As the marines came within meters of the guerillas' high ground, gunfire erupted.

"A CCCH [Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (GRP-MILF)] official described what ensued as a "pintakasi" (a fight in which everyone joins in). Once combat began, armed men from surrounding neighborhoods, including ASG fighters, joined against the marines in the hope of sharing the spoils--captured equipment, arms and ammuninition--or of avenging past wrongs. Followers of local politicians were embittered by the marines' rigid enforcement of the previous May's election gun ban. Fourteen marines died, ten of whom were decapitated and otherwise mutilated. Triggered by lack of coordination between the AFP and the MILF, the Al-Barka incident demonstrated the power of a momentary tactical alliance across organizational boundaries. An MNLF commander from Basilan noted: "MILF's three brigades [about 500 men]will become 3,000 men if 'loose arms' on the island are coordinated by the failure of the peace talks."

Notes (culled from ICG Report No. 152):
1. The AHJAG (Ad Hoc Joint Action Committee was designed to facilitate coordination between the Philippine government and the MILF to share intelligence on terrorists and avoid accidental clashes while government forces pursued them....as a counter-terror and conflict management mechanism that worked...a similar arrangement should be arranged with the MNLF. The problem is that it will only work if there is progress on the political front--that is in peace negotiations--so that the insurgents see concrete benefits from their cooperation with the government. Ceasefire mechanisms like AHJAG depend on substantive progress toward a comprehensive peace pact....
2. For more than two years, the AHJAG prevented conflict escalation as the search for terrorists intensified in MILF strongholds in western Mindanao and led to a few cases of the MILF's disciplining extremists in its own ranks. It helped force the ASG's core group, including Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Solaiman, to Sulu, where they were killed. This has come at a heavy price in Sulu, where no equivalent ceasefire machinery exists to separate jihadis from the dominant local guerilla force, the...MNLF. Instead, heavy-handed offensives against the ASG and its foreign jihadi allies have repeatedly spilled over into MNLF communities, driving some insurgents into closer cooperation with the terrorists, instead of the government.

(Photo credit: Mindanao Examiner)

Labels: AHJAG, Al Barka, Alivio, ASG, Asia Report 152, Basilan, clans, Fr.Bossi, ICG, MILF, Mindanao conflict, MNLF

UP Ibalon Bicol

GMA orders to "annihilate" the Abu Sayyaf rebels; Erap vowed to "pulverize" them

Basilan gunbattle kills 23 government soldiers

Sri Lankan hostage freed, but Italian ICRC humanitarian worker still under Abu Sayyaf hands

9 hostages are still captives of Abu Sayyaf bandits Mindanao

Muslim religious leaders must also seek the release of Red Cross workers

The Al-Barka Incident Where Trapped Marines Were Killed And Beheaded

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