Basilan clash due to ‘lack of coordination’ – MILF-AHJAG official
KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 23 January) – An official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) confirmed Thursday that their troops were among those who clashed with Army members in Sumisip, Basilan Wednesday afternoon, but said that it could have been avoided if there was prior coordination from the military.
Anwar Alamada, chairperson of the MILF – Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), said the members of the 32nd Infantry Battalion did not coordinate with the front prior to entering the village, which is an MILF community under the front’s 114th Base Command.
“Nakipagcoordinate yung tropa namin sa kanila (na) huwag silang papasok ng ganoon (na) walang koordinasyon kasi (MILF) community po iyon. And then nagpupumilit (sila) at nagkabakbakan na (Our troops coordinated with the Army soldiers not to enter without coordination because the area is an MILF community. The soldiers insisted and the encounter erupted),” he told the Oblates-owned DXMS radio station in Cotabato City.
At least two soldiers were killed while 12 others were wounded during the clash in Sumisip town Wednesday afternoon with “lawless elements” and alleged MILF members, the military said following the bloody encounter.
The Basilan-based 101st Infantry Brigade said in a statement posted on its Facebook page that troops from the Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion were on their way to link up with representatives from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) visiting Barangay Lower Cabengbeng for livelihood projects when fired upon by the group of Najal Buena and Oman Hajal Jalis, “who are notorious for [their] involvement in violent conflicts (rido) in the area.”
The 101st IB statement said that another armed group allegedly affiliated with the MILF also opened fire on the government troops, resulting in an armed encounter.
Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman condemned the attack “perpetrated by misguided elements of the MILF out to spoil or destroy the peace and tranquility of the province.”
“We call upon the MILF leadership in Basilan and the security forces to find a common ground that would resolve the issue and prevent a repeat of the incident in the future,” he added.
Alamada said the MILF members prevented the 32nd IB troopers to enter the area because the soldiers allegedly did not follow the ceasefire protocol.
Even if the 32nd IB troops were not conducting law enforcement operations and merely assisting the UNDP activity, they should have coordinated it with the ceasefire mechanisms such as the AHJAG or the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities or CCCH, he added.
“If there was just coordination, such unnecessary armed encounter could have been avoided,” he said.
Alamada said that ground commanders under the 114th Base Command have been instructed to de-escalate the tension following Wednesday’s clash.
In a statement on Thursday, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. condemned the attack, saying “this cowardly act was perpetrated by lawless armed men who intend to derail the peace process that Basilan is now starting to enjoy.”
He called on the MILF leadership to conduct its investigation and help bring the perpetrators to justice.
Galvez sympathized with the families of the fallen soldiers, who he said made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of peace.
Bangsamoro government Senior Minister Abunawas Maslamama, said that a Joint Peace Security Team (JPST), a peacekeeping force jointly composed of government security forces and MILF members, has been stationed in Sumisip town.
Maslamama, popularly known as Von Al Haq, former spokesperson of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the MILF’s armed wing, added the JPST should have been also informed beforehand about the soldiers’ movement to avoid any misencounter.
“There is a need to improve the coordination mechanism,” he told MindaNews on the phone. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
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