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MILF won't go after Abu Sayyaf, at least for now


Until peace talks are restarted, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has no obligation to help the government go after the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, the spokesperson for the MILF said Wednesday. In a radio interview, Eid Kabalu said the MILF and the government have an Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) to go after criminals, but this has been inactive since peace talks were suspended last year. Kabalu’s statement came after the bloody clash on August 12 in Basilan province between government troops and Abu Sayyaf bandits, who were allegedly backed up by MILF fighters. "Sa panig ng MILF kasi, binubuweltahan tayo na hindi tumutulong sa awtoridad. Meron tayong effort diyan. May built-in na paraan ng pagtulong sa gobyerno ang MILF... yan ay sa pamamagitan ng AHJAG. May mga experience tayo na maganda ang resulta. Yun nga lang, hindi ito gumagana sapagka’t hindi pa fully operational ang resumption ng talks," Kabalu told dzXL radio in an interview. (The MILF has been accused of not helping authorities. We have our efforts through a built-in mechanism called the AHJAG. But the group is not active now because the peace talks are stalled.) When asked if [it’s correct to say that] the MILF is not exerting efforts to go after the Abu Sayyaf for now, Kabalu said: "That’s correct." He said that the only way to revive the mechanism is through the resumption of talks between the government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) panel and the MILF. "[That’s] the only way to revive that sapagka’t ang ugnayan ng GRP at MILF can only be asserted ng dalawang panel na nag-uusap (The only way to revive it is if the two panels assert their authority through the talks)," he added. Peace talks between government and the MILF were suspended in August 2008, after a series of attacks staged by "rogue" MILF units in Mindanao. The attacks stemmed from the Supreme Court’s junking of a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) for the Bangsamoro people. Recruitment Government troops are now pursuing Abu Sayyaf bandits following a deadly clash in Basilan, where several soldiers were killed along with Abu Sayyaf and MILF members. Kabalu said the MILF members who "helped" the Abu Sayyaf were likely relatives of the bandits. "Ang mandate ng [joint action group] ay nasa panel. Both the panels can do the initiative para ma-revive ang AHJAG. At ang naumpisahang trabaho can now continue (The mandate of the joint action group comes from the peace panels. Both panels can take the initiative to revive it)," he said. Meanwhile, Kabalu downplayed alleged continued recruitment of new members by the Abu Sayyaf, saying the number is "not substantial." "Base na rin sa mga report na galing mismo sa mga awtoridad, at apparently yung nakaraang mga araw may kaunting na dagdag sa grupo pero di naman very substantial (Based on reports from authorities, there had been recruitment activities by the Abu Sayyaf but these were not very substantial)," he said, but did not elaborate. - GMANews.TV

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