MILF insists Basilan clash not an ambush

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Monday continued to blame the military for the encounter in Basilan that left 14 Marines dead, saying its forces were involved in a “legitimate encounter" and not an ambush, even as they still vehemently denied beheading 10 of the slain servicemen. "The fighting was directly initiated and provoked by the Philippine Marines ... There was no ambush but a legitimate eight-hour encounter," said Muhammad Ameen, head of the MILF Secretariat, in a statement on the MILF website (www.luwaran.com). A group of about 100 Marines were on their way back to camp after a futile search for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi in Tipo-Tipo town when they were engaged in a deadly firefight on July 10. Following the gunbattle, the Marines brought back four dead and declared 10 others missing in action, who were later found beheaded and mutilated the following day. "The extent of barbarity to the dead Marines – and to Imam Alkanul – must be investigated, so that whoever were responsible must answer for their crimes," Ameen said. Alkanul or Hakim Ali was a 69-year-old man whom the MILF said they found at about 5:30 a.m. of July 11, or the day following the deadly firefight. He was reportedly hacked in the back and had his throat slashed. The MILF said Alkanul was forcibly taken by Marines from his house in Ginanta town in the early morning of July 10 to lead them to a nearby MILF base. Ameen extended condolences to the bereaved families of the beheaded Marines for the "barbarity" that had befallen their loved ones, insisting that the MILF "never committed this atrocity." The MILF also called on international human rights groups to conduct a probe on the "beheading" of the Marines. The MILF said the initial “findings" of its investigation of the firefight showed that the Marines "completely disregarded" the GRP-MILF ceasefire pact in three incidents prior to the July 10 firefight. The Moro rebel group noted that about the time they found Alkanul, they discovered six slain Marines already beheaded. It also insisted that 23 Marines died in the July 10 encounter and not just 14 as reported by the military. "Before they left (on the evening of July 10), the MILF conducted a clearing operation and they found 23 Marines dead, as above stated, and not one was beheaded," the MILF said. Conflicting reports The MILF also said it suffered five dead and six wounded fighters. The military earlier reported that no less than 20 rebels died. Although media and military reports put the force that attacked the Marines at between 300-500 fighters, the MILF said only two platoons (each with about 40-50 men) were involved. The MILF said the units came from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigade of the 114 Base Command based in Basilan. It added that more than 100 MILF fighters arrived as reinforcements but did not take part in the fighting because it was already over when they reached Ginanta. The Marines initially blamed the Abu Sayyaf Group, which is identified as a terrorist group, but the MILF owned up to the attack. Ameen said the MILF investigating team was composed right after the beheading incident, which it considered a grave violation of Islam, the Geneva Conventions, and existing policies of the Front. The MILF investigating group started working immediately despite the ongoing massive deployment of troops in the island province for an impending offensive against those who killed and beheaded the Marines. Findings In its findings, the MILF said the government conducted three military operations before the bloody firefight on July 10, including: * On July 8, 2007, Marines conducted operation in Barangay Limbu Upas, Tipo-Tipo, Basilan creating fear and chaos among the local inhabitants. * On July 9, 2007, the same Marine outfit made a follow up operation and entered Barangay Linuan, Al-Barkah town, the defense perimeter of an MILF area at an adjacent barangay of Ginanta. The MILF had conducted a peace advocacy program there on June 2, 2006, which was fully coordinated with the MILF and government coordinating committees on cessation of hostilities (CCCH). * At 7:00 a.m. on July 10, 2007, Philippine Marines under the command of Major Marcelino entered Barangay Linuan again where they disarmed one MILF member, Hadji Hakim, of his carbine rifle and another of his tiger uniform with MILF patches. When reminded by one of the two MILF members who figured in these incidents that the Marines are already encroaching into an MILF area under the ceasefire, the Marines said: "We do not recognize any MILF area, the entire Philippines is ours." At around 9:00 a.m. on July 10, the Marines entered Ginanta, Al-Barkah, where the MILF forces are located and known to the government, and a firefight ensued immediately. The MILF said it captured 17 firearms including three M-60 machine guns, one mini-machinegun, five M-203 grenade launchers, two M-14 rifles with telescopic sights; one 60mm mortar, and five M-16 rifles. At 5 p.m. a ceasefire was already in place, which was arranged by the MILF CCCH and government CCCH. At 6 p.m., the MILF Local Monitoring Team (LMT) informed Marine Maj. Macatuon that the MILF fighters have withdrawn and the area is cleared. At 8 p.m., Macatuon informed the MILF-LMT that all the Marines and equipments were withdrawn including their dead comrades. At 9 p.m., Marine Col. Almadrones informed the MILF-LMT that there were 10 Marines held by the MILF as "captives". After a thorough verification, no one was captured by the MILF. Imam ‘taken’ The MILF report said Alkanul, whom they accused the Marines of taking, was also forced him to bring some of the loads especially ammunition. "When the firing started, Alkanul was with the Marines. As stated, his dead body, hogtied and with deep wounds, hacked in the back and throat slashed that almost severed the head, was found alongside the fallen Marines," the MILF said. The MILF said its investigating team will conduct further probe into the "beheading" of the Marines. It said all the MILF unit commanders involved in the fighting were asked about the beheading and their answers were all in the negative. Commander Musawwarin Abubakar, chief of the MILF 114 Base Command, said that doing barbaric act to a fallen "enemy" is a crime against Islam, humanity, and the rules of engagement promulgated by the MILF General Staff, the MILF report said. The 11,000-strong MILF is negotiating a peace accord with the government but talks have stalled over the issue of ancestral domain or how much territory to include in a proposed Moro "homeland." The rebel group had earlier deployed forces in the area along the boundary of the Lanao provinces to help search for Bossi, who was abducted last June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay. They MILF forces on the ground were later pulled out from the search but both the MILF and military said they would still coordinate in intelligence operations on the kidnapping. -GMANews.TV