AFP: 8 soldiers held hostage in MILF territory in Basilan

(Updated 1:30 p.m.) Only eight of the 10 Army soldiers who were earlier reported missing after a clash with an armed group in Basilan are being held hostage inside Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) territory in the province, a military official said Wednesday afternoon. Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Arnulfo Burgos confirmed that only eight soldiers are being held captive. In an earlier interview on GMA News TV’s News To Go, AFP spokesman for Western Mindanao Command Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said: “We have received reports [the soldiers] are being held hostage within the area of temporary stay of the MILF."
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV The area of temporary stay is a place designated by the government and the MILF Coordinating Committees on Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) where forces of the secessionist group can stay to prevent encounters with troops pursuing members of the bandit Abu Sayyaf group. The soldiers were captured on Tuesday by an armed group led by fugitive Dan Laksaw Asnawi after they clashed in Al-Barka town. At least 13 soldiers were killed and 12 others were wounded during the firefight. The military said Asnawi was among those who beheaded 14 Marines, who were then in search for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, in the same town in 2007. Asnawi was arrested in November 2009 but was able to escape from the Basilan Provincial Jail with 30 others a month after his capture. Not the MILF Cabangbang said the military is not holding the MILF liable for the attack, since the CCCH has already claimed that the armed men involved in the encounter are not members of the secessionist group. “Hindi po MILF ang aming tinutugis kundi ‘yung mga armado na sinasabi nila na hindi naman nila miyembro," he said. He however said that MILF members, who are also relatives of the armed men, provided reinforcement to the lawless group during the encounter. “Ang problema, they [the MILF] cannot also control ‘yung ilang members nila na kamag-anak ng aming mga tinutugis," he said. Cabangbang further said that the military has already asked for assistance from the government and the MILF's Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) to ensure the safety of the 10 soldiers. “We are leaving it to the AHJAG to seek assistance from the MILF panel," he said. The military and the MILF are currently observing a ceasefire in connection with the ongoing peace negotiations. But in a statement posted on its website Tuesday night, the MILF accused the military of violating a standing truce for attacking its fighters in Basilan. It also said that Asnawi is the head of its 114th Base Command. "This attack of the government forces blatantly violated the existing ceasefire accord between the Government of the Philippines and MILF, which only overstates the insincerity of the government and its armed forces with the ongoing peace process and ceasefire," the MILF said. Meanwhile, an earlier military report said soldiers engaged suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf and the MILF in Al-Barka in a six-hour firefight early Tuesday morning. Operating troops of the 13th Special Forces Company and students of military scuba diver course engaged an undetermined number of MILF rebels under Asnawi and Abu Sayayaf bandits under Commander Nurhassan Jamiri at Sitio Baquisong in Barangay Cambug, the report said. Moreover, the report said soldiers were not sure if the MILF rebels were part of the group that is holding peace negotiations with the government or is considered to be a faction of the MILF. — Andreo Calonzo/LBG, GMA News