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Southeast Asia

Official says Misuari aide in Mindanao siege dead

2013-11-06

A senior Philippine Cabinet official expressed the opinion that a ranking commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who led the deadly standoff in September in Zamboanga City in Mindanao has been killed. Secretary Voltaire Gazmin of the Department of National Defense said, "The MNLF has long been saying that Commander Habier Malik is alive but up to now they haven't shown him," adding that in this light, Malik is "obviously dead." He could be just hideously disfigured. Senior Superintendent Edgar Danao, a senior officer in the Mindanao regional police command, agreed, saying, "If he (Malik) were alive, the MNLF would have shown a video of him to taunt the troops but so far, nothing. It's been a month and no Malik has surfaced in media." They could send off for a Phantom of the Opera mask. That'd take care of it. More than 200 militants, policemen, soldiers and civilians were killed and dozens injured during the siege that devastated large areas of Zamboanga and displaced about 100,000 residents still living in temporary evacuation centers. Misuari's not dead, so it's gonna happen again. Security officers have labeled Malik as a trusted aide of Nur Misuari, the leader of an MNLF faction, who allegedly ordered the attack on Zamboanga City. The initial belief that Malik had been killed arose when soldiers found his identification card on the body of MNLF militant who was slain during the siege. Did the ID match the dead guy? How common is the name?

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Southeast Asia

Scattered Fighting in Southern Philippine City

2013-09-30

[An Nahar] Philippine troops hunted the remnants of a Muslim rebel group in the key southern city of Zamboanga Sunday, with residents hearing gunfire a day after the military declared an end to its three-week campaign. The army Saturday announced that police were taking over from troops to clear sections of the vital regional trading center of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) stragglers. But just minutes after the military said the threat to Zamboanga was over, soldiers killed three MNLF fighters in a clash that also left six troops wounded. "What happened was not organized resistance. These are stragglers trying to escape capture," Zagala told AFP Sunday, adding that only a handful of rebels remained. "The mission is completed. We have already neutralized the threat to Zamboanga City." Fighters swarmed into the city's neighborhoods 20 days ago, taking hostages and triggering weeks of violence as they sought to derail peace talks between the government a rival guerilla rebel faction. More than 10,000 homes were razed to the ground forcing over 100,000 people -- around a tenth of the city's population -- to flee. The latest clash put the toll at 189 MNLF fighters killed, with 292 captured or surrendering, while 23 soldiers and police and 12 civilians had also been slain. A total of 195 civilian hostages had been rescued with no more believed to still be in the hands of the gunmen, said Zagala. The military said Nur Misuari, who founded the MNLF in the early 1970s, had sent hundreds of armed followers led by his top lieutenant Habier Malik, to Zamboanga. Malik's identification card had been found on the body of a slain MNLF members, Zagala said, though it was too early to confirm his death and forensic examinations were being carried out. The conflict area -- 30-40 hectares (74-99 acres) of densely packed communities, mangrove swamps and ponds -- would take about two weeks to clear of possible MNLF stragglers, unexploded bombs, booby traps and the buried bodies of dead gunmen, he said.

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Southeast Asia

Philppine military won’t interfere in Sayyaf-MNLF fighting

2013-02-07

A senior member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) called for Muslims to stop killing Muslims yesterday as the group massed for a bigger assault on Abu Sayyaf strongholds in Sulu. The fighting, which broke out Sunday morning, has caused hundreds of villagers to flee their homes in Patikul town, where Abu Sayyaf terrorists bandits are believed to be holding Jordanian journalist Baker Abdulla Atyani. The government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has sent out relief and health workers to the town, while police and military units are moving to prevent the fighting from spreading to populated areas. Habib Mujahab Hashim, a senior member of the MNLF’s central committee and chairman of the group’s Islamic Command Council, said there was a pause in the fighting yesterday as the guerrillas under Ustadz Habier Malik regrouped in preparation for a bigger offensive. He said, “If this does not stop, it could lead to mutual annihilation. The only way out is to talk brother to brother.” Many MNLF and Abu Sayyaf members are related by blood or marriage along with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday said it would not meddle in the hostilities, except to ensure the safety of civilians in the affected areas. Col. Orlando de Leon, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade, said, “They have their own agenda. Preventing the resumption of hostilities is hard any time, it could erupt. What we want to prevent is a spillover.” He added, “We are ready to treat the wounded. That is provided by international humanitarian law.” Hashim expressed worry that prolonged hostilities could lead to a serious clan war. He said, “It’s sad that Muslims are killing fellow Muslims. We also don’t condone Muslims killing Christians.” He said he had talked to senior MNLF and Islamic religious leaders to intervene and stop the fighting, but was told that they would do so only on instructions of Misuari. He said, “They said any movement to interfere might be perceived as sabotage." Misuari reportedly ordered the offensive after the Abu Sayyaf refused to turn over several of its hostages to the MNLF. On Saturday night the Abu Sayyaf released a Filipino television crew, but not to the MNLF, and refused to hand over Atyani to Malik’s group. The release of the two Filipino hostages, reportedly in exchange for ransom, prompted the MNLF to attack the Abu Sayyaf’s jungle hide-outs on Sunday. Sixteen MNLF fighters have been reported killed, with several of them beheaded, while the group estimates that the Abu Sayyaf has lost 14 men. Misuari is running as an independent for a fresh term as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Yesterday, President Aquino emphasized that the government did not give permission for the MNLF offensive. He said, “There is no sanction, there is no clearance. They didn’t tell us that they were going to attack the Abu Sayyaf." What he had ordered, Aquino said, was to bring about 300 families displaced by the fighting to safer ground. He also ordered the military and police to confine the violence to Patikul. He said, “On Sunday when I first heard about the clash, our first priority of course (was the safety of) our citizens or civilians who might be caught in the conflict areas. Sources said Misuari hoped that securing the release of the hostages would boost his chances in the ARMM race in May and improve his standing in the Organization of Islamic Conference. The President’s Liberal Party is fielding ARMM officer-in-charge Mujiv Hataman against Misuari and former Sultan Kudarat congressman Pakung Mangudadatu of the United Nationalist Alliance for governor in the autonomous region.

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Southeast Asia

Abu Sayyaf members behead MNLF fighters in S. Philippines

2013-02-03

The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), a terrorist organization operating in southern Philippines, reportedly beheaded four fighters of the Muslim guerilla faction of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in a clash between the two groups in southern Philippines, police said Sunday. The consequences of that particular choice should be interesting... The clash broke out when the MNLF forces under spiritual leader Ustadz Habier Malik reportedly attacked the Abu Sayyaf group that refused to free captive Jordanian broadcast journalist Baker Adbullah Atyani Sunday morning in the mountains of Patikul township in Sulu province, island of Jolo, a police security official said. At least 5 MNLF guerilla members were killed by the Abu Sayyaf militants in the assault. Four of the victims were subsequently beheaded, police said. Jordanian broadcast journalist Baker Atyani and two Filipino companions were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf gunmen in Jolo, Sulu on June 13 of last year. The Filipino companions were released by ASG on Saturday night. Nearly 500 MNLF fighters rushed to the camp of the Abu Sayyaf in the village of Buhanginan in Patikul town early Sunday and were met by around 300 militants, according to police. Government security forces from police and marines have been deployed at the border to avert the escalation of the fighting between the two forces as fighting continued intermittently, according to the Sulu provincial police office.

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Southeast Asia

Abu Sayyaf rejects MNLF appeal to free foreign captives

2013-01-17

Abu Sayyaf terrorists rebels holding at least 5 kidnapped foreigners have turned down demands by a former Muslim terrorist rebel group to free their hostages being held in the southern Philippines. Officials said a senior leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Habier Malik, tried to negotiate with the Abu Sayyaf for the freedom of the captives in the hinterlands of Sulu Island. Army Col. Rodrigo, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City, said, "As far as we know, the Abu Sayyaf has rejected the MNLF efforts to secure the release of the hostages, not without ransoms." Rodrigo said Malik's group has returned to their bases. He said, "The efforts of the MNLF to secure the freedom of the hostages are unilateral on their part and have the permission of the local government officials and military commanders on the ground. But our efforts are also continuing to safely recover all the victims." Police said the Abu Sayyaf has been holding a Japanese treasure hunter, Toshio Ito, 66, since 2010. He was last reported to have been helping the rebel group in cooking food for them and moves around freely. Aside from the Japanese man, the Abu Sayyaf is also holding Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani, 43, and his two Filipino assistants Rolando Letrero, 22, and Ramelito Vela, 39. Senior Superintendent Antonio Freyra, the Sulu police chief, said the trio came to Sulu province in June last year to secretly film the Abu Sayyaf for a documentary on Al Arabiya News Channel. Before his detention, Atyani has had previously visited the province in secrecy to interview terrorist leaders, according to the Philippine military. The military previously said it would arrest Atyani for espionage if he were released by the Abu Sayyaf. Atyani had also clandestinely interviewed Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks. Freyra said two European wildlife photographers Ewold Horn, 52, from the Netherlands; and Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, from Switzerland, kidnapped in February his year in Tawi-Tawi province had been brought to Sulu. In an interview he said, "As long as the MNLF (members) don't put the law in their own hands or violate the law in pursuance of their efforts, I don't see any problem. We welcome all efforts in securing the safe release of the hostages." Police in Tawi-Tawi said the duo was allegedly taken by members of the MNLF. Another group of kidnappers are also holding a Malaysian fish trader Pang Choon Pong, who was taken in October 2011 in Tawi-Tawi, but his fate is unknown. In November last year, Malaysian officials said two of its nationals were seized by five gunmen disguised as policemen from a palm oil plantation in Sabah. It said the two were both working for the plantation and had been taken at gunpoint. Their companions said the gunmen spoke in Malayu and Tausug, a dialect commonly used in the southern provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. Abu Sayyaf terrorists rebels are also holding Australian adventurer, Warren Rodwell, a former soldier, who was seized in the seaside town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province in December 2011. The terrorists rebels originally demanded $1 million ransom for the release of Rodwell, but eventually lowered this to $460,000. It is known what ransoms the Abu Sayyaf is asking for the remaining captives, who are being held by different rebel commanders.

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Southeast Asia

Moro rebel killed, 3 soldiers wounded in southern Philippines

2009-10-31

Security forces clashed Saturday with Moro rebels in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, killing one gunman, but three soldiers were also wounded in the fighting, officials said. Marine Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, commander of military forces in Mindanao, said the fighting erupted at around 6:45 a.m. on a village in Panamao town. He said soldiers were tracking down rebels when they clashed with gunmen under Moro National Liberation Front leader Habier Malik. “We have recovered the body of the slain rebel and his weapon, an M16 automatic rifle. Three soldiers were wounded in the fighting,” Dolorfino told the regional newspaper the Mindanao Examiner. He said Malik’s group has joined forces with Abu Sayyaf militants blamed for the spate of bombings and ambuscades of soldiers in Sulu in recent months. The Abu Sayyaf was also tagged as behind this week’s grenade attack at a Roman Catholic Church in the capital town of Jolo. The group was also linked to the kidnapping early this year of a Filipino, Italian and Swiss Red Cross workers in Sulu’s Patikul town and freed weeks later in exchange for huge ransom.

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Southeast Asia

Zamboanga City on alert for insurgents

2009-10-05

Authorities are on heightened alert in Zamboanga City following the fighting between troops and rebels in Sulu province. Zamboanga City, which had been previously bombed by Abu Sayyaf, is currently celebrating the weeklong Hermosa Festival in honor of the Virgin Mary locally known as “Our Lady of the Pilar,” its patron saint. A regional military commander, Marine Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, said they would launch Monday a new “hotline” that would allow citizens to send text messages from their cell phones or inform authorities about suspicious persons or information that could prevent terrorism. “We are going to launch this on Monday so citizens can easily and quickly provide information through SMS [short message system] from their cell phones,” Dolorfino said. Besides the new hotline number, police also have telephone numbers 166 and 117 posted in many areas in Zamboanga City where citizens can call at anytime in case of an emergency similar to 911 in the United States. Government forces are battling Moro rebels since last month in the province and had already killed at least 45 gunmen and soldiers, including two members of the US Special Forces. The Bangsamoro National Liberation Army (BNLA) warned of more attacks against the military and civilian targets in the Philippines in retaliation to the continued government offensive against rebels in Sulu. The shadowy group, an ally of the Moro National Liberation Front, has claimed responsibility for the September 29 roadside bombing in Sulu that killed US soldiers Sergeant First Class Christopher Shaw and Staff Sergeant Jack Martin 3rd. Madarang Sali, BNLA deputy supreme commander, rebel forces have declared a holy war against the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine government. He said the BNLA is headed by Lt. Gen. Abdulnasser Iskandar, while the Moro National Liberation Front are under the command of Ustadz Habier Malik, Khaid Ajibun and Tahil Usman. Sali said only 10 MNLF rebels were killed in the fighting—seven under Malik and three more under the command of Ajibun. Dolorfino said troops were tracking down at least four most senior Abu Sayyaf leaders—Dr Abu, Albader Parad, Isnilon Hapilon and Yasser Igasan—including two foreign Jemaah Islamiah terrorists Mauiya and Quayem and some 200 followers.

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Southeast Asia

Meet the new leader of Abu Sayyaf

2008-10-03

The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has a new leader: Ustadz Yasser Igasan. According to a reliable Army Commander, Igasan is a religious scholar, not a warrior. Sulu Representative Yusof Jikiri said he had heard Igasan was "very spiritual," but he also noted Igasan was a Tausog, an ethnic group known as fierce fighters. Muhammad Jamal Khalifa, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law, established Darul Imam Shafin in 1988. Khalifa's International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) funded the religious school. When the news first leaked that ASG commanders had met to choose a new leader, not much was known about Igasan. Since then, a more complete portrait has emerged. Igasan, in his 40s, was among the original members of ASG, along with its founder, Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani. In 1993, Igasan was a classmate of Abdurajak's brother, Khaddafy Janjalani, at Darul Imam Shafin, an Islamic institution in Marawi City. Muhammad Jamal Khalifa, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law, established Darul Imam Shafin in 1988. Khalifa's International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) funded the religious school. The IIRO ostensibly was engaged in charity work. Investigators say Khalifa was funneling funds to terrorists and supporting secessionist movements in the southern Philippines. He was ASG's link to al-Qaeda. The Philippine Anti-Money Laundering Council has since frozen IIRO accounts. As a teenager, Igasan reportedly traveled to Afghanistan to fight the then-Soviet army. How involved Igasan was in any fighting is unclear. The Arabs of al-Qaeda and their Taliban allies regarded Southeast Asian Muslims as not real Muslims. They often gave them lesser duties in camp. Igasan met Janjalani in Afghanistan, and the two talked about a separate Islamic state in the Philippines. When they returned home, they cooperated in establishing the Abu Sayyaf Group. Igasan was in the first ASG camp in Basilan-Camp Al-Madinah. He was there when marines overran the camp. Igasan also was with the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas who raided the town of Ipil in 1995, killing more than 50 people. He reportedly was wounded during the army's pursuit operation. In 1998, Janjalani's death left ASG with three choices for a new leader or emir: Igasan, Khadaffy Janjalani and Radulan Sahiron. The election quickly became a choice between Igasan and Khadaffy. Those who favored Igasan noted that although he and Khadaffy were fellow students at Darul Imam Shafi, it was Igasan that Khalifa had appointed "mushrif"-top of the class. Igasan subsequently became head of Quranic Studies for the IIRO. Igasan also was Khadaffy's senior by three years and thus had three years more field experience. Igasan's supporters believed he had religious credentials almost as good as those of the elder Janjalani. In the end, however, the field commanders threw their support behind Khaddafy, the dead emir's brother. By the late 1990s, Igasan had left the Philippines for further Islamic studies in Libya and Syria. By the late 1990s, Igasan had left the Philippines for further Islamic studies in Libya and Syria. He took a lesser role in ASG after Khaddafy's election and left the country again in 2001. This time, he traveled to Saudi Arabia as an overseas Filipino worker, but it was a cover for his real activities. Igasan made contact with Abu Abdurahman, who was involved with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Igasan began to funnel money from jihadist supporters in Saudi Arabia to Abu Sayyaf. He also might have facilitated the travel of two unidentified militants from Yemen, who were in Basilan with ASG. They left for Mindanao with Khadaffy and his second-in-command, Abu Solaiman. Hostages confirmed the unidentified Yemenis were present when the militants celebrated the September 2001 attacks in the United States. ASG commanders might have supported Igasan's election because of his foreign contacts. They badly need funding, and Igasan's past activities provide the guerrillas with legitimacy as jihadists rather than common criminals. Igasan's next move likely will be to target Westerners in kidnappings for ransom, particularly foreign aid workers, businessmen and tourists. The abductions also can be a tactic to persuade foreign militants that Abu Sayyaf is part of the global jihad. Igasan's religious credentials make him an equal religious authority with the Muslim religious scholars who have issued fatwas, or religious edicts, condemning ASG. His background also could curry favor with Ustadz Habier Malik, a renegade member of the Moro National Liberation Front who withdrew from a peace agreement with the government. In addition, Igasan as leader would make Abu Sayyaf more appealing to the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. Sources inside the Moro Islamic Liberation Front discount all the speculation about Igasan. They say ASG has adopted the loose "inverted pyramid system of leadership" favored by al-Qaeda. Such a leadership style allows individual commanders autonomy to protect the secrecy of their operations. It means that Igasan would function as a spiritual guide rather than operational planner.

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Southeast Asia

Reward offered for Philippine Muslim rebel

2007-04-19

Authorities in the Philippines are offering a $21,000 reward for the capture Habier Malik, a Muslim rebel commander believed linked to the Abu Sayyaf group. The Voice of America reported Wednesday the Philippine government has blamed Malik for the recent fighting on Jolo island in which 21 have died. Malik, identified as a renegade commander of the Moro National Liberation Front, and his group are accused of firing mortar rounds last week on two Philippine Marine camps. The fighting that followed also displaced thousands of people on the island, the report said. Last February, Malik was accused of holding a Philippine general hostage for two days, the report said. The Philippine military says Malik has several hundred armed followers, and may now be working with the Abu Sayyaf, which is demanding a Muslim homeland in the Philippines. The military was quoted as saying the reward money is for the capture of Malik and his followers, and is not aimed against the MNLF, with whom the government has signed a peace treaty.

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Southeast Asia

Fighting spreads in southern Philippines, 21 dead

2007-04-17

Fighting between government forces and rogue Muslim rebels is spreading in the southern Philippines, shattering hopes for peace and threatening local support for a U.S.-backed campaign to flush out militants. A military spokesman said on Tuesday that army commandos were fanning out into the jungles of Jolo island, 600 miles (950 km) south of Manila, to hunt members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) after three days of pitched battle. "Our troops were now pursuing a separate group of MNLF rebels in another part of the island," Lieutenant-Colonel Bartolome Bacarro told reporters. Seventeen rebels, three soldiers and one civilian have been killed since renegade MNLF commander Habier Malik fired mortars at marines on Friday night, triggering fierce retaliation by the military, which dropped 250-pound bombs on his base. Nearly 8,500 families have fled the fighting and thousands crammed into schools and gymnasiums in downtown Jolo, relying on food rations from disaster agencies. In its campaign to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, the most militant of four Muslim rebel groups in the largely Catholic country, the military had been careful to avoid the use of air strikes in order to win round locals, tired of so-called "friendly fire". The troops' use of heavy bombs over the weekend and their targeting of the MNLF, which is seen as having more legitimacy than Abu Sayyaf, could undermine crucial local support. "It's going to complicate things because the MNLF probably have more local contacts, more traction with the locals then the Abu Sayyaf, who tend to be more thuggish," Tom Green, executive director of Pacific Strategies & Assessments, told Reuters. "Going against the MNLF means that a broader spectrum of people are affected because of blood ties, fathers, sons, uncles, brothers, that is going to complicate things." Ustadz Habier Malik, an MNLF field commander loyal to jailed Muslim leader Nur Misuari, fired mortar rounds on a military base in Panamao town on Friday to retaliate against an attack by soldiers on MNLF positions in Indanan. On Tuesday, the national police said seven people were taken captive by the Abu Sayyaf in Parang town, including six men working on a government road project. "The governor of Sulu was negotiating for the release of all seven hostages," said Joel Goltiao, police chief in the Muslim autonomous region, adding armed police officers were tracking down the Abu Sayyaf group behind the kidnapping.

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Southeast Asia

Philippine troops overrun rebel camp in south

2007-04-15

Philippine marines captured the camp of a Muslim rebel commander on Sunday after his forces attacked their base with mortar bombs killing two soldiers and one child, military officials said. Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander Habier Malik and his followers fled to the jungles surrounding Panamao town on the southern island of Jolo after troops bombarded his camp. "Malik's group are on the run. There is still sporadic fighting," Major Eugene Batara, a military spokesman, said. He could not confirm a local press report that said 15 rebels had been killed in the fighting but he said the MNLF death toll was likely to be high. "We are sure they have suffered many casualties." A MNLF spokesman said three of their followers had been wounded. Malik embarrassed the military in February when he held a top general, a senior government official and their aides hostage for two nights. The captives were released unharmed after the government handed over money and sacks of food.

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Southeast Asia

MNLF May Quit the Peace Process in the Philippines

2007-03-03

When looking at the multitude of insurgent problems in the Philippines, one tends to overlook the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 1996 establishing the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for five provinces. MNLF founder Nur Misuari led the ARMM from 1996-2001, but became frustrated with Manila's non-implementation of key parts of the agreement and with its interference in MNLF politics. In response, he staged an uprising in November 2001. While some supporters picked up arms in Sulu province, the MNLF leadership was able to prevent a widespread revolt. Misuari fled to Malaysia where he was detained. Arrested in the Philippines, he was never put on trial and today he remains under house arrest. The MNLF is woefully divided between the Isnaji, Islamic Command Council, Executive Council of 15 and the pro-Misuari factions. September 2, 2006 saw the 10th anniversary of the accord, and yet the MNLF continue to have many legitimate grievances. The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) failed to implement entire sections of the agreement, starved the region of promised financial resources and wantonly interfered in its politics. There has been no true autonomy, making emotions in Mindanao and Sulu very raw. The MNLF lobbied the government to attend a tripartite meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in February. The meeting, which was to be attended by the MNLF, GRP and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Would you call that an unbiased organization? was supposed to be an opportunity for the MNLF in an international setting to categorically list all of the government's breaches of the agreement in an attempt to recommit the GRP to the peace effort. Translation: Come meet with two islamic organization where we will tell you everything you are doing wrong.... The GRP announced that it would not attend and has tried to buy time by calling on the MNLF to wait until the GRP concludes a separate peace agreement with the rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). If completed, the GRP-MILF accord will lead to the dissolutions of the 1996 agreement and the ARMM government and the drafting of a new organic charter in an inclusive process that will include the MILF, MNLF, civil society and traditional elites (The Jakarta Post, February 23). from 1996 - 2006? Sounds like the 10-year limitation on any islamic peace agreement is past.... The MNLF was upset over the agreement and saw the unwillingness of the government to go to Jeddah as another sign of its treachery. In February, Under Secretary of the Presidential Advisor for the Peace Process General Ramon Santos and Brigadier General Ben Dolorfino (himself a Muslim convert) were not allowed to leave an MNLF camp for two days. Held Captive.... MNLF commander Ustadz Habier Malik refused to let the two leave until the GRP agreed to attend the tripartite talks (Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 6). Some P450,000 (US$10,000) was paid to secure their release. for ransom. Proving the MNLF is a peaceful government organization dedicated to peace... MNLF armed camps have been emerging in the past year on Jolo Island, and the training of new members has continued. On top of that, some MNLF sub commanders have been providing sanctuary and support for members of the Abu Sayyaf Group, to whom they are bound by kinship and clan ties. In a region awash with small arms, there is palpable concern that the MNLF may quit the peace process entirely. Indeed, they feel morally justified in doing so. Of course muslims always feel justified to do anything for some trumpted up 'offense'.... While bracing for cease-fire violations, few within the Philippine military believe that the MNLF could sustain an insurrection over a long period of time. Both the GRP and MILF were taken aback as they assumed that the MNLF would give its full support to the agreement, which in its current draft form gives more to the Moro, including the legal right to secede in 2030. The MNLF, while stating that they "supported the peace process of their Muslim brothers," made clear that the agreement could not come at the expense of, nor supersede, the 1996 "Final Peace Agreement." The MNLF's genuine unwillingness to work with the MILF is based on the false perception that they are still the vanguard revolutionary force of the Moro people. The MILF, for their part, see the MNLF as corrupt sell-outs. MNLF members have told this analyst that they doubted that the two organizations could ever really share power. It need not be zero-sum as the two organizations have a fairly clear demarcation in terms of ethnicity and territory. The head of the GRP's peace panel, Jesus Dureza, said that the hostage incident has "eroded" the government's confidence in the MNLF. Gee... I can't imagine why. They are acting like any other Islamic Terrorist organization.... While the government has agreed to attend the tripartite meeting in May, it is expected to yield little and has shifted the onus to the MNLF, which is unable to determine factional representation and whether Nur Misuari should lead the delegation

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