10 MILF rebels under Kumander Bravo yield

MANILA, Philippines - Ten Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels – belonging to the group that occupied several villages in central Mindanao last year – have surrendered to the government, the military said Tuesday. Colonel Benito de Leon, commander of the Philippine Army’s 104th Brigade, said the 10 rebels surrendered to Lieutenant Colonel Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 43rd Infantry Battalion in Lanao del Norte. De Leon said the rebels are members of the MILF 102nd Base Command led by Commander Abdullah Macapaar alias “Kumander Bravo." Bravo, along with two other MILF commanders, are being hunted by government troops for staging separate attacks in Cotabato, Sarangani, and Lanao del Norte. The military declined to identify the 10 MILF rebels who turned themselves in to the military. De Leon said that they have tapped the MILF members who surrendered to track down Bravo and other wanted MILF leaders. Local officials are also working with the 10 rebels to facilitate the defection of other MILF rebels who are considering on surrendering to the government. The surrendering rebels also gave up nine high-powered firearms, including: M16 and Garand rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade, and two B40 ammunitions. A number of civilians were killed and scores of houses were torched when the MILF groups, including that of Bravo’s, attacked the three Mindanao provinces in September 2008. Local courts in Mindanao had already ordered the arrest of the MILF commanders for several criminal charges including murder and arson, among others. Despite the military’s continuing combat operations, Bravo and the two other wanted MILF commanders – Ameril Umbra Kato and Aleem Sulayman Pangalian – remain at large. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV