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Recent Appearances...

Mullah Sher Mohammad Malang

Taliban

Afghanistan

20020918

Africa Subsaharan

Three US citizens sentenced to death in DR Congo for attempted coup

2024-09-15

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] Three citizens of the United States of America and one from Great Britain were among 37 people who were sentenced to death for an attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo, The Guardian reports .

Recall, this was a project of Congolese emigré Christian Malanga, on which he took his son and one of his son’s school friends.

It is noted that among the accused there are also citizens of Belgium and Canada. They are accused of terrorism, murder and organizing a criminal community.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 19, the representative of the Armed Forces of the DR Congo, Sylvain Ekenge, reported that the Armed Forces of the DR Congo had prevented an attempt to carry out a coup d'état in the capital of the country, Kinshasa. According to him, the military detained all the participants in the plot. Later, the media reported that the uniforms of the detained and liquidated rebels had the flag of Zaire (the former name of the country). At the same time, the men spoke English, French and Lingala and claimed that they were "representatives of the diaspora."
Third try. Fred and badanov — there a bug somewhere that keeps erasing the content of this article.

To summarize, dear Reader:

This article reported more information about this story from yesterday. badanov usually keeps copies of the translations he does for us, so hopefully at some point he will copy/paste that in this space.

—tw at 2:17 p.m. ET

Link

Africa Subsaharan

US and British citizens among 37 sentenced to death in DR Congo coup trial

2024-09-14

[BBC] Thirty-seven people - including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian national - have been sentenced to death over an attempt to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The men were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi in May.

Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, the suspected leader of the plot, was killed during the attack, along with five others.
Some personal risk appears to have been involved.
In total 51 people were tried in a military court, with hearings broadcast on national TV and radio.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Failed 'coup plotters' go on trial in DR Congo

2024-06-09

More on this story from yesterday.

[BBC] The trial of 51 individuals, including three Americans, accused of attempting to overthrow the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, has begun.

The hearing is being broadcast live on national TV and radio from N’dolo military prison in the capital, Kinshasa.

The defendants were ushered into the military court wearing blue-and-yellow shirts, marking their first appearance in public since the failed coup.

Arrested during attacks on the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi, they face multiple charges, including financing terrorism, murder and attempted assassination.

They have not yet been asked to plead in the case, which is being held under a marquee in the grounds of the jail.

The US State Department says it has not been given access to its citizens in custody.

FAMILY BAFFLED BY US MAN'S LINK TO FAILED CONGOLESE COUP
Six people were killed during the attempted coup on 19 May, including the suspected leader of the plot Christian Malanga.

The rest of the defendants were detained after the attack on the Palais de la Nation and the home of Vital Kamerhe, who is the parliamentary speaker.

Local media reports said the assailants were members of the New Zaire Movement linked to Malanga, a formerly exiled DR Congo politician who had acquired US citizenship.

His son Marcel Malanga is among the US nationals who were arrested.

Another is 21-year-old Tyler Thompson, whose family told the BBC this week they had "zero idea" how he had become entangled in the plan.

Videos taken in Kinshasa after the incident show Mr Thompson being hit with the butt of a rifle and repeatedly struck in the head by Congolese security forces.

Other individuals of different nationalities were also involved and are on trial, according to army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge.

One is a Congolese man who holds Belgian nationality and there is also a Canadian citizen originally from DR Congo.

According to the AFP news agency, there is also an investigation into the conduct of the soldiers who foiled the coup for allegedly committing executions after the operation.

President Tshisekedi was re-elected for a second term in disputed elections last year in December. He won about 78% of the vote.

Nearly 20 people were killed in election-related violence in the run-up to the vote.

DR Congo is a country with vast mineral wealth and a huge population, but despite this, life has not improved for most people, with conflict, corruption and poor governance persisting.

Much of the country's natural resources lie in the east where violence still rages despite Mr Tshisekedi's attempts to deal with the situation by imposing a state of siege, ceasefire deals and bringing in regional troops.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

DRC 'thwarted coup' trial gets underway in Kinshasa

2024-06-08

[AFRICANEWS] Some 50 people, including 3 Americans, appeared in a military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material...
on Friday in connection with last month’s failed coup.

They are facing charges including terrorism, attempted liquidation, illegal possession of weapons and arms of war, and financing of terrorism related to the "attempted coup" on 19 May.

Six people were killed during the attack led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga, which targeted the presidential palace and a close ally of the President Felix Tshisekedi.

Army officials say Malanga, who lived in the United States, was rubbed out for resisting arrest soon after live-streaming the attack.

Malanga’s son Marcel, who was born in the US, appeared alongside fellow Americans, Tyler Thompson and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun.

They were lined up on plastic chairs before the judge in the military court in Kinshasa on the first day of the hearing along with the other defendants.

Human Rights Watch has called on the DRC government to accord the accused a fair and transparent trial.

The US embassy said on Monday it had not had access to its citizens to provide consular services. All three have requested an interpreter to translate from French to English.

Many of the charges they face are punishable by death.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

DRC: Ally of President Tshisekedi elected head of parliament

2024-05-24

[AFRICANEWS] The ally President Felix Tshisekedi returns to a role he has led before. Vital Kamerhe, speaker of the national assembly from 2006-2009, was elected Wednesday to the same position, ending months of bickering and a threat by the President to dissolve parliament.

A veteran of Congolese politics, the 65-year-old became allies with Tshisekedi in 2018, when he withdrew his candidacy for president.

His Union for the Congolese Nation party also played a key role in helping Tshisekedi in dismantle a coalition with his predecessor Joseph Kabila in 2020.

But Kamerhe who served as Tshisekedi's chief of staff was soon arrested and sentenced to 20 years in jail for embezzlement. In 2022, he was acquitted on appeal and released.

In 2023, Kamerhe returned to Tshisekedi's cabinet as minister of the economy just in time for the election in which Tshisekedi won a second term as president.

His election as speaker of parliament paves way for the formation of a new government.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

American caught in Congo failed coup was on vacation in Africa — Family

2024-05-24

[AFRICANEWS] The family of an American caught up in a failed coup attempt in Congo said their son, Tyler Thompson, was in Africa on vacation with family friends.

In a statement available to the News Agency that Dare Not be Named, the family added that their son had never been engaged in political activism.

"We are stunned and heartbroken by the videos we have seen from the coup attempt," his stepmother, Miranda Thompson, said in a message on micro-messaging platform X ( Twitter)... "We have no idea how he got wrapped up in this situation, which is completely out of character for him. We are certain he did not go to Africa with plans for political activism."

Thompson was among at least two other Americans who were named by the Congolese army as part of a failed effort to overthrow the government in Kinshasa in the early hours of Sunday morning under an eccentric, self-exiled leader, Christian Malanga.

The two other Americans allegedly involved were a convicted marijuana trafficker, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, and Malanga's 21-year-old son, Marcel, who was arrested by Congolese forces.

Malanga, the alleged leader, was rubbed out after resisting arrest, the Congolese army said. In all, six people were killed in the attack on the presidential palace and another on the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken

...71st United States secretary of state and a leading light of the corrupt and inept Biden administration. He previously served as deputy national security advisor from 2013 to 2015 and deputy secretary of state from 2015 to 2017 under the corrupt and inept Obama administration. He advocated for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while serving as the Democratic staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was a foreign policy advisor for the Biden 2008 presidential campaign. During his tenure in the Obama administration, Blinken helped craft B.O.'s policy on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the nuclear program of Iran. We all saw how well each of those worked. After leaving government service, Blinken moved into the private sector, co-founding WestExec Advisors, a lobbying firm...
condemned the attack in a call with Tshisekedi and offered help from the U.S. with the investigation, according to a summary of the call.

The stepmother said Thompson was not politically engaged and was excited to see the world with family friends. "He is a good kid, a hard worker and a respectful young man. We're so lost as to how he ended up in this mess," she said.

The U.S. Embassy in Congo said Thursday that it was still waiting for the Congolese government to provide evidence that the arrested individuals were Americans before it could provide consular services to them.

The Congolese government has not given a date for when the suspects will appear in court.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

American detained in failed Congo coup is former DC drug dealer and married father-of-three...

2024-05-21

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] …who was running gold mining and e-cigarette business with slain mission's leader

Benjamin Zalman-Polun was one of three American citizens detained in Congo

READ MORE: Son had been preparing for war before following father into coup

Malanga's American son Marcel and another unidentified American man were captured and paraded around after the failed coup. Zalman-Polun's passport was gleefully displayed by the victorious troops.

Zalman-Polun and Malanga were involved in gold mining in Mozambique together, according to several African news outlets. The business partners also reportedly worked together in the e-cigarettes industry in Mozambique.

In 2014, the DC native pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 kilos or less of marijuana in DC between October 2011 and April 2012, per legal documents seen by DailyMail.com.

According to his wife Hannah Polun's social media, the family has been living in the affluent coastal town of Ballito, South Africa, for the last couple of years.

In the early hours of Sunday, a group of around 50 men armed in camouflage fatigues attacked the residences of the prime minister, the defense minister, and a senior politician tipped to become speaker of parliament, according to the army.

Chilling footage caught the moment two of the plotters were seized trying to flee the country across the Congo River before groveling for mercy to Congolese soldiers as they lay bleeding in the street.

Marcel Malanga was one of them. He accompanied his former refugee father to the central African country from their home in Utah to lead the coup against the autocratic government of President Felix Tshisekedi.

A Facebook page appearing to belong to Malanga posted a live-streamed video of what appeared to be the attack.

'We, the militants, are tired. We cannot drag on with Tshisekedi and Kamerhe, they have done too many stupid things in this country,' Malanga said in Lingala in the video.

Christian Malanga moved to Salt Lake City as a 15-year-old refugee with his family in 1998 but returned to Congo in 2006 where he served in the military, and stood for parliament in 2011 only to be arrested two days before the poll.

He attempted to build his United Congolese Party in exile after returning to the US in 2012 and was accused by Congolese intelligence of plotting the assassination of then president Joseph Kabila.

Eight years after arriving in the US, Malanga returned to his homeland in order to do military service, rising to the rank of captain by 2007. During this period, he had at least 235 soldiers under his command.

Following failed attempts at moving into politics in DRC, Malanga returned to the US in 2012 but continued to be active in the country's affairs while in exile.

Malanga, who had previously threatened on social media to overthrow Tshisekedi, first attempted an aborted coup in 2017, according to army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge.

The army has shared a photo of his body sprawled on the grass in blood-stained fatigues.

In the ministry's video, a detained man described as a recruiter for Malanga's cause says Malanga had planned to proclaim himself president.

"He indicated he had the support of the Americans, but we realise that he didn't really have any," the detainee said.

The U.S. ambassador has said the United States will fully cooperate with the Congolese authorities and hold accountable any U.S. citizens involved.

Marcel appears to have ad a perfectly average upbringing in the US. He graduated from Copper Hills High School in the community of West Jordan, Utah, in 2020 where he was also a star football player.

After high school, he went on to play for the Utah Islanders, a team which helps to develop players to play college football.

However, his social media is filled with references to war and images of assault weapons.

Nearly a year ago Marcel shared a picture with his father and captioned it: 'honored to have you as my earthly father. I can’t wait to change the world with you.'

Link

Good Morning

2024-05-20

El Fasher women's and children's hospital shelled, multiple injured

Monday 05/20/2024

Raisi's helicopter was completely burned in the crash ... all passengers are feared dead

The Jack Rabbit Club The Original

Africa Subsaharan Christian Malanga, Exiled Politician And DR Congo Coup Leader Killed By Armed Forces		Africa Subsaharan NDLEA Declares Nigerian Couple Running Drug Cartel From India Wanted Over Cocaine Trafficking
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Full horror of Oklahoma teen Noah Presgrove's injuries explained - as autopsy results give chilling insight into his final moments

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Christian Malanga, Exiled Politician And DR Congo Coup Leader Killed By Armed Forces

2024-05-20

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]

Congolese Army Foils Coup Attempt In Kinshasa, Arrests Perpetrators | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/O3FxMAxDFA pic.twitter.com/uPXS1F0h4f
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 19, 2024

Who Was Christian Malanga, Exiled Politician And DR Congo Coup Leader Killed By Armed Forces? | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/X9SEIOtTiK pic.twitter.com/X2zYeKaneK
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 19, 2024

Courtesy of Besoeker:

At least three U.S. citizens - accused of being CIA agents - are arrested in Congo after failed coup: Three people killed in shootout at presidential palace and home of close ally

[MAIL] Three Americans have been arrested over their alleged involvement in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Video shows what is thought to be two of the men groveling for mercy on the ground as they were surrounded by government forces following a shootout in the capital Kinshasa on Sunday.

Reports in local media suggested the arrested men were CIA operatives although the US ambassador in the city was keen to distance the US from any involvement.
A bit late for that it would appear.
The DR Congo military named the coup leader as Christian Malanga, 41, a US educated former refugee who was a 'naturalized American' and had been 'definitively neutralized' by the security forces.

His son Marcel was among those accused of taking part and seized by the military as they retook control.

Footage on social media showed a passport allegedly seized from one of the Americans bearing the name Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old born in Maryland.

Zalman-Polun reportedly has a background as a cannabis entrepreneur and had been previously linked to Malanga.
A dope dealer. How novel.
The military said it thwarted the 'attempted coup' involving 'foreigners and Congolese' near the offices of President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa.

'I am shocked by the events this morning and very worried by the reports of American citizens allegedly being involved,' Lucy Tamlyn, the US ambassador to the DRC, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Shocked! Shocked!
'Rest assured that we are cooperating with authorities in DRC to the fullest extent possible, as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any American citizen involved.'

More below, but I'd reckon Ben Zalman-Polun's (or whoever he is) kak is a bit weak at the moment.
The Herald - Politician killed in foiled DRC coup.

Swazi News - Eswatini Defense Principal Secretary(PS) Prince Sicalo’s military friend Congolese businessman Christian Malanga killed in DRC in an attempt to overthrow President Felix Tshisekedi.

Even more from badanov:

A coup was foiled in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo prevented an attempt to carry out a coup in Kinshasa. This was stated by the official representative of the country's Armed Forces, Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge.

“The defense and security forces stopped the coup attempt. Foreigners and Congolese took part in the assassination attempt,” the France24 TV channel quoted an army representative as saying.

He added that the military had arrested all participants in the conspiracy, including the leaders. Ekenge did not disclose their names.

“The army assures that the situation is under control and asks the residents of Kinshasa to calmly go about their business,” the army spokesman said.

As Regnum reported, on the evening of September 17, 2023, local media reported that the Congolese army began seizing key facilities in the country's capital, Brazzaville. According to some reports, the head of the presidential guard, Serge Oboa, led the coup. Journalists recalled that the head of state, Denis Sassou Nguesso, was at that time in New York, where he took part in UN events.

Later, the Minister of Communications and Media, spokesman for the government of the Republic of Congo, Thierry Lezen Mungala, denied rumors of a coup d'état, calling this information fake. He assured that calm reigns on the territory of the republic and called on the population to calmly go about their business.

On the night of July 26 last year, a coup d'état took place in Niger. A group of military men came to power in the country and removed the President of the Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, from government. The new authorities broke a number of economic and political agreements with France, in particular, they annulled the agreement on the military presence of French troops in the country.

On the night of May 15, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held an emergency meeting with the heads of intelligence and the Ministry of Justice after warning of the threat of a coup being prepared in the ranks of law enforcement agencies. The Turkish leader was warned by his ally, the head of the nationalist party Devlet Bahçeli, about the possibility of attempting to repeat the 2016 coup. The head of state said that the country's authorities are well aware of the “puppeteers” and those who were preparing the conspiracy in the country.

More from regnum.ru
Rebel leader Mahlangu, who was preparing a coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was eliminated
The leader of the rebels who staged a coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 19 was eliminated. This was reported by the Actu30 portal.

According to the publication, Christian Mahlangu was shot dead by the military. The remaining members of the rebel group were immediately arrested. They wore the flag of Zaire (the country's former name) on their uniforms, spoke English, French and Lingala, and claimed to be "members of the diaspora." Now the situation in the country is under control, a source from the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo noted.

As Regnum reported, on the morning of May 19, the army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo prevented an attempt to carry out a coup in Kinshasa. Local publications reported shots fired near the residence of the candidate for the post of Chairman of the National Assembly, Vital Kamerhe.

On September 17, 2023, information appeared in local media that the Congolese army began seizing key facilities in the capital of the country, Brazzaville. According to some reports, the head of the presidential guard, Serge Oboah, led the coup. Later, the Minister of Communications and Media, spokesman for the government of the Republic of Congo, Thierry Lezen Mungala, denied rumors of a coup. According to him, calm reigned on the territory of the republic.

Even more from regnum.ru
The Russian Embassy called the situation in the DR Congo stable after the coup attempt
The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo remains stable after the coup attempt, but Russians are advised to take precautions, the Russian Embassy in the African republic reported on May 19.

“Russian citizens are advised not to visit the central areas of the capital, where investigative actions by law enforcement agencies are being carried out,” Gazeta.ru quoted a message from the diplomatic mission.

Diplomats also noted that in the capital Kinshasa, security forces have strengthened control at key points.

As Regnum reported, on May 19, the official representative of the Armed Forces of the DR Congo, Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge, announced that the army had prevented a coup in the country. According to him, among the detained rebels there were local residents as well as foreigners. He stressed that the military had detained all participants in the conspiracy, and called on the population not to worry and to continue going about their business.

The media later reported the liquidation of the rebel leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were preparing a coup, Christian Mahlangu, and the arrest of his associates. It is noted that the detainees had the flag of Zaire, as the republic was previously called, they spoke English, French and Lingala and called themselves representatives of the diaspora.

Link

India-Pakistan

Two Pakistan Army sepoys martyred in Lakki Marwat shootout

2024-01-11

[GEO.TV] Two soldiers were martyred during a gun battle with terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Wednesday, in the latest terror strike on the military.

In a statement, the ISPR — army’s media wing — said that a “fire exchange took place between the security forces and terrorists” in the district, during which the Pakistan Army's security forces ”effectively engaged the terrorists' location”.

As a result of their exchange, two terrorists — identified as Aftab aka Malang and Masood Shah — were “sent to hell”, the statement mentioned.

“These terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces as well as targeted killings of innocent civilians,” the ISPR added.

The security forces also recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives following the completion of the task.

However, during the intense exchange of fire, two brave soldiers — Sepoy Muhammad Afzal, 29, resident of district Bhimber, Azad Kashmir, and Sepoy Ibrar Hussain, 27, resident of district Mansehra — embraced martyrdom after fighting gallantly.

In response, a sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area, the ISPR said.

“…the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” the military’s media wing added.

Link

India-Pakistan

Man awarded triple death sentence for raping, killing minor girl in KP

2023-10-20

[GEO.TV] A Child Protection Court Thursday awarded three death sentence

...the barbaric practice of sentencing a murderer to be punished for as long as his/her/its victim is dead...
s to a man for raping, killing and then burning the body of an eight-year-old girl in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) capital of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistain's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire...
.

Child Protection Court Judge Hina Mehwish issued the judgment and also directed the convict, Asif Raza alias Malangay, to pay a fine of Rs1 million.

The girl's body was [GEO.TV] A Child Protection Court Thursday awarded three death sentences to a man for raping, killing and then burning the body of an eight-year-old girl in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) capital of Peshawar.

Child Protection Court Judge Hina Mehwish issued the judgment and also directed the convict, Asif Raza alias Malangay, to pay a fine of Rs1 million.

The girl's body was found in the Balukhel Bala area, falling in the limits of the Badbher police station on November 19, 2020 — a day after she went missing. The minor girl's family and residents of the area then staged a protest.

Top officials took notice of the horrible act and a case was then registered. The police arrested the accused on December 11, 2020.

During the course of proceedings, the police had informed the court that the accused had first raped and then killed the minor. Then, he burnt the body and dumped it in a graveyard.

The law enforcers also informed the court that several cases were registered against Raza at the Badabair Police Station.

Days before this incident took place, a four-year-old boy, Tahirullah, was found dead in the fields within the limits of the Badaber Police Station with his abdomen cut.

Five days later Aalya was killed and her body was set on fire in the Balokhel area of Badaber. The two incidents created an atmosphere of fear in Badaber and the rest of rural Peshawar.

found in the Balukhel Bala area, falling in the limits of the Badbher cop shoppe on November 19, 2020 — a day after she went missing. The minor girl's family and residents of the area then staged a protest.

Top officials took notice of the horrible act and a case was then registered. The police arrested the accused on December 11, 2020.

During the course of proceedings, the police had informed the court that the accused had first raped and then killed the minor. Then, he burnt the body and dumped it in a graveyard.

The law enforcers also informed the court that several cases were registered against Raza at the Badabair Police Station.

Days before this incident took place, a four-year-old boy, Tahirullah, was found dead in the fields within the limits of the Badaber Police Station with his abdomen cut.

Five days later Aalya was killed and her body was set on fire in the Balokhel area of Badaber. The two incidents created an atmosphere of fear in Badaber and the rest of rural Peshawar.

Link

Southeast Asia

2 MILF members blamed for deadly ambush surrender in southern Philippines

2023-08-19

[BenarNews] Two rogue Moro Islamic Liberation Front members suspected of taking part in an attack that killed a soldier and a police officer in the southern Philippines last weekend have surrendered and will be charged with murder, military officials said Thursday.

The suspects were among 10 MILF button men who ambushed a government security team on Aug. 12 as it escorted regional peace monitors in Ulitan, a barangay on Basilan
...Basilan is a rugged, jungle-covered island in the southern Philippines. It is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, bandidos, and maybe even orcs. Most people with any sense travel with armed escorts...
island, said Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon, commander of Joint Task Force Basilan and the 101st Brigade.

The two were "primarily responsible (among the) perpetrators in the recent ambush," Luzon told news hounds here.

He said the suspects surrendered on Tuesday and had provided the military with vital information used by government troops to hunt down the others involved in the attack that left seven other troops injured.

Basilan is one of several provinces in the southern Mindanao region that make up the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao (BARMM). In a 2014 peace agreement with Manila, the MILF gave up its long-running separatist insurgency in exchange for autonomous rule over predominantly Moslem areas in Mindanao.

Under the deal’s terms, the group promised to have its tens of thousands of members turn over and decommission their weapons, but the MILF has struggled to meet that target. In various phases so far, it has decommissioned about 4,500 weapons of 40,000 believed to be in the hands of the members of the former guerrilla force, according to Department of National Defense estimates.

In Sunday’s attack, the button men ambushed a security convoy guarding a Joint Peace and Security Team tasked with overseeing the decommissioning and disarming of former MILF combatants. The team — whose members are military, police, MILF and local officials — assists in monitoring and enforcing the peace pact.

On Thursday, Luzon pointed to the 2014 peace agreement as being instrumental, in close coordination with its leaders, for the "peaceful and voluntary surrender of the two rebel suspects."

He identified the suspects as Adzmin Manjapal, 20, and Mudzni Sapau, 27, saying they were both rogue members of the MILF.

The suspects were turned over to the Basilan police chief Col. Carlos Madronio to be charged with murder, Luzon said, while vowing to provide justice for those killed and seven injured in the ambush.

Luzon credited MILF leaders with facilitating the surrender, naming Malik Cadil, officer-in-charge of Western Mindanao Front MILF; and Hadji Sammad Ahaddin, member of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostility. Abdurahman Rajan, deputy commander of MILF 114th Base Command, also played a role.

The military commander had previously said that the MILF’s leaders do not have control over people not identified as their members.

The MILF leaders did not immediately respond to BenarNews requests for comment.

During a decommissioning ceremony for 1,300 ex-combatants earlier this month, Murad Ebrahim, who heads the BARMM, blamed holy warrior groups with endangering efforts to disarm former MILF guerrillas.

Under the decommissioning process, each former combatant who hands over weapons is expected to receive about U.S. $2,400 per weapon, including funds for education.

"We are facing a very challenging situation because there are still groups out there that encourage our members to join them," Murad said at the time.

The surrender came amid an intense military-police manhunt for the suspects who were believed to be linked to a MILF faction led by Huram Malangka. The faction was alleged to be involved in killings including acting as guns for hire for criminal gangs.

"Under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., such attacks will not go unpunished. Justice will be served," Philippine presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez said on Thursday.

"The blatant disregard for human life and hostilities against our peace builders is an affront and an act of contempt against the tenets of peacebuilding, human dignity and respect to the rule of law."

Link

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