Basilan, Philippines

A TOP military official has demanded that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) remove two of its commanders and their followers and strictly remain within its Area of Temporary Stay (ATS) in Basilan Province.

Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga made these demands in the two-page protest he filed Monday before the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) based in Cotabato City.

Allaga said a joint attack initiated by the two MILF commanders together with their followers and several Abu Sayyaf bandits on a marine detachment early Sunday showed a treacherous attempt to derail the peace process and destroy the peace enjoyed by the local populace.

The attack on the detachment in Tongbato village in the town of Ungkaya Pukan in Basilan is clearly a violation of the MILF-Philippine government ceasefire agreement, Allaga stressed. By Bong Garcia

Sun.Star Zamboanga

The military has filed a complaint against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) before the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities following an attack by the rebel group in Basilan on Sunday.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, Western Mindanao Command chief, said the military strongly believes that the Moro rebels have colluded with al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf when they attacked a detachment of the Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 8 in Barangay Tongbato in Ungkaya Pukan town.

Allaga said the two bodies recovered in the area belonged to Remie Indama, an Abu Sayyaf member, and Pathi Kabulot, an MILF member.

ABS-CBN News

Two rebels were killed while 14 soldiers were wounded when government troops clashed Sunday with members of the secessionist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Basilan island in Mindanao.

Marine Commandant Maj. Gen Ben Dolorfino said the encounter started when an undetermined number of MILF fighters attacked the detachment of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-8 in Tongbato village in Ungkaya Pukan in Basilan province around 5:45 a.m. Ten soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Dolorfino said the MILF rebels were led by one Commander Hudli Maya and were supported by several members of the notorious Abu Sayyaf group.

The rebels also ambushed government reinforcement in the nearby village Matarling, wounding four more soldiers and damaging a V150 armored vehicle.

“A V150 armored vehicle was also damaged from a landmine explosion,” Dolorfino told the GMANews.TV.

Military troops were able to recover the bodies of the two slain rebels, identified as brothers Pepoy and Tete Indama, both reportedly members of the Abu Sayyaf.  with reports from Al Jacinto

GMANews.TV

The Armed Forces of the Philippines will file a protest before the ceasefire committee overseeing the peace negotiations between the government and Moro rebels after the combined members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Abu Sayyaf attacked a military detachment in Basilan province.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano said the MILF committed a “treacherous act” when it attacked the detachment of the 8th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) in Barangay Tongbato in the municipality of Ungkaya Pukan on Sunday.

The attack violated the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro rebels.

Yano’s order to file a protest before the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities is seen as a move to prevent further escalation of violence between government troops and the rebels.

Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga will endorse the complaint before the committee. By DAVID SANTOS

ABS-CBN News