UP Ibalon Bicol: Mindanao conflict

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Eight soldiers killed in a bloody skirmish with NPA in Surigao

11/14/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

The encounter between the military and New People’s Army (NPA) which caused the death of 12 people including 8 military soldiers, among them a police officer, occurred without much public notice. Another 12 soldiers were injured in a remote mountainous community in Lanuza, Surigao del Sur. The fighting with the communist militants was eclipsed by the visit of US Sec. of State Hillary Clinton in Manila who pledged support for the country's anti-insurgency campaign.

“Eight soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 58th Infantry Battalion, a police officer from the 1405th Provincial Police Mobile Group, a member of the Special Cafgu Active Auxiliary (SCAA), and two security personnel from logging firm, Surigao Development Corp (SUDECOR), died when they clashed with alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Pakwan village on Wednesday.” ---GMAnews.TV (11/13/09)

The senseless deaths and injuries of the brave men didn't have news coverage as much as Clinton’s visit and the release of Columban missionary Michael Sinnott---- kidnapped last month in Pagadian City in Southern Philippines. The soldiers died from gunshot wounds and from injuries inflicted by landmines and bombs exploded by the communist rebels.

On a military mission, the army soldiers were ambushed by about 100 NPA rebels. The deaths and injuries which followed were barely noticed by the public. Obviously, the bloody encounter indicates the fragility of peace in Mindanao. More has to be done for peace. The casualties suffered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) indicate the cost of keeping freedom and tranquility in the islands.(Photo Credit: abs-cbnnews.com x 2) =0=

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Labels: Armed Forces of the Philippines, casualty, communist, encounter, fighting, insurgency, insurgents, military, Mindanao conflict, Naga Camarines Sur. Totie Mesia, NPA, rebels, Surigao del Sur

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

8/16/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | 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 Anonymous | 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

Government calls for MILF ceasefire before GMA’s SONA

7/23/2009 | Posted by Anonymous | Edit Post

In a waxing and waning way of handling the Mindanao separatist movement, the Philippine government again suspended its military offensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF,) about 5 days before Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo delivers her state of the nation address (SONA) on July 27, 2009.

Spokesmen from the administration are ecstatic over the ceasefire which they believe will allow about 300,000 civilians to return home to their farms.

But the heavily unpopular president with a poor approval rating was quickly criticized for using the ceasefire to prop up her image---- that her handling of the decades-old Mindanao rebellion had significant gains and in the right direction.

To air their grievances, a 15,000-strong protest-rally are being readied by oppositionists from Manila and other provinces to complain against President Arroyo's final State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“It’s all media-hype. I’m sure her decision will not change the situation in Mindanao. Undoubtedly, she is creating a situation that is favorable to her SONA," Political analyst Ramon Casiple, executive director of the non-government Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. GMANews.TV (07/23/09)

Many observers in the protracted peace process are cynical about the outcome of the conflict. The question of sincerity hangs. They see the same pattern of political maneuvers and hollow claims of peace gains that aren’t far from why the Israel-Palestinian problem has not been resolved for many decades. (Photo Credit: Manolet Santiago/ Malaya) =0=

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Labels: ceasefire, GMA, MILF, MILF peace agreement, military, Mindanao, Mindanao conflict, politics, Pres. Gloria Arroyo, protest, rally, SONA, Totie Mesia

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

The ICG On The Mindanao Conflict

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

The ICG is the "International Crisis Group". According to Wikipedia:

"The ICG is considered the world's leading leading independent, non-partisan source of analysis and advice to governments and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations, European Union and World Bank, on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict. Its primary goals are a unique combination of field-based analysis, sharp-edged policy prescription, and high-level advocacy, with key roles being played by a senior management team highly experienced in government and by a highly active board of Trustees containing many senior diplomats....

"The ICG maintains teams of analysts in 17 field offices worldwide, who are dispatched to areas at risk of outbreak, escalation, or recurrence of conflict."

The ICG was organized in 1995 and currently it is co-chaired by Chancellor of Oxford University and former European Commissioner for External Affairs Christopher Patten and former US Ambassador to the UN Thomas R. Pickering. Its president and chief executive is Gareth Evans, the former Foreign Minister of Australia. Its international headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium. In 2006, 40% of its funding came from governments, 32% came from philanthrophic organizations and 28% came from individuals and private foundations.

In May 14, 2008, ICG issued its Asia Report No. 152 titled, "The Philippines: Counter-Insurgency vs. Counter-Terrorism in Mindanao", days before the start of the current AFP-MILF war in Mindanao. Having analyzed the interplay of the GRP/AFP, MILF and MNLF since the '90s and its different responses to terrorism, part of its report might have bearing on the current war and its possible consequences. I quote (and be chilled by its cutting perspective):

"The seizure of the MILF's principal bases on Jolo [in 2007] recalls the MILF experience from 2000 to 2003. Relatively disciplined and hierarchically accountable guerilla formations have again been dispersed into an anarchic environment where there are many possibilities--and even imperatives--for them to deepen collusion with terrorists.

"In counter-insurgency terms, capturing guerilla strongholds may be seen as a victory. But from a counter-terrorism perspective, anything that drives mainstream guerillas and jihadis closer together is a defeat. On Mindanao, the AFP's occupation of the MILF's Camp Abubakar, from July 2000, did impede the JI training facilities--though this was not presented as an objective at that time. But smaller groups of freelance foreign jihadis have continued to seek partnerships with militants inside, as well as outside, the MILF and MNLF.

"The most dangerous of these liaisons came about as a direct result of Balikatan's [the joint RP-US military exercises] "success" in Basilan. As described above, driving the ASG core group onto the mainland [because it too "hot" for them in Basilan] had the unintended effect of cementing its alliance with radical MILF commanders....Though the story remains untold in the official account, it holds important lessons...for many situations where terrorists are embedded in popular insurgencies.

"Where distinguishing between insurgents and terrorists is possible, encouraging the first to cooperate against the second, rather than collude with them, must be a central pillar of government terrorism programs. Moreover, in the longer term, such cooperation helps build mutual trust necessary for a durable peace agreement. Quiet MILF cooperation against ASG and foreign jihadis continued until shortly after...21 June 2007. An ASG plan to re-infiltrate mainland Mindanao [Note: the report earlier acknowledged the late Chairman Hashim Salamat's cooperation in the expulsion of the ASG in mainland Mindanao], due to intensifying pressure from Oplan Ultimatum in Jolo, was frustrated in November 2006. Bashir Takasan, an MILF member...from Davao Oriental, where the jihadis had hoped to land, "died in the line of duty preventing their re-entry."

A chilling observation of the conflict, indeed. Does this forecast the long-term defeat of the government's strategy of "all-out war"?

[This article is a response to my article, "The MILF Has Been Suckered Into War: The Peace Agreement As A Trojan Horse", 11/19/08]

Labels: AFP, ASG, Asia Report No.152, Bashir Takasan, Camp Abubakar, Hashim Salamat, ICG, jihadis, MILF, Mindanao, Mindanao conflict, Oplan Ultimatum

UP Ibalon Bicol

Eight soldiers killed in a bloody skirmish with NPA in Surigao

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

Basilan gunbattle kills 23 government soldiers

Government calls for MILF ceasefire before GMA’s SONA

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

The ICG On The Mindanao Conflict

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