MILF: Suspects in Zambo Sibugay clash not our members

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said on Tuesday that the three armed men being sought by the government for their alleged involvement in clashes in Zamboanga Sibugay are not their members. Earlier, the government asked the MILF to surrender five of its commanders and an Abu Sayyaf bandit allegedly responsible for the recent attacks in parts in Mindanao that left over 30 soldiers and civilians dead. The six were identified as Laksaw Dan Asnawi, Long Malat, Waning Abdulsalam, Putot Jakaria, and Ogis Jakaria, all alleged MILF leaders; and Furuji Indama, reportedly a member of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandit group.

But Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said the MILF ad hoc joint action group (AHJAG) claimed in a text message to the GRP AHJAG that the two Jakarias and Abdulsalam are not their members. The three were allegedly involved in the fighting in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay last Oct. 21 where eight soldiers and policemen died. The MILF AHJAG said Abdulsalam is reportedly not listed on the MILF's records, and therefore, not a member. On the other hand, it described the two Jakarias as "notorious outlaws, kidnappers." "Putot and Ogis are now hiding in Basilan, no longer in Sibugay while Waning's whereabouts is unknown since he got married in Sacol few years back. This can serve as my official answer to your latest request for validation," it said. Indama, Asnawi, and Malat, meanwhile, were not mentioned by the MILF AHJAG. The three were reportedly among those who clashed against Army elite troops last Oct. 18 in Al-Barka town in Basilan province — an incident that left 19 soldiers dead and had prompted calls for the government to withdraw from the peace talks with the MILF and instead launch an all-out war against them. Meanwhile, Adriano Fuego, director of the Office of the Civil Defense in Zamboanga, told reporters on Tuesday that around 10,385 people have so far been evacuated due to the unstable situation in their areas affected by the armed conflict. He said that at least 610 families were evacuated from Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay while 1,237 families were likewise displaced in Alicia town in the same province. — RSJ, GMA News