It appears that the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have a very flimsy handle on their various units operating in Southern Philippines.
Just a few days after President Benigno Aquino III was able to convince the biggest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines to sit down with the government and sign the historic pact on 27 March 2014, there were already two major skirmishes between the armed forces and the criminal elements associated with the MILF.
The first one was reported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista and it involved a clash between government troops with the terroristic Abu Sayyaf who were joined by family members from MILF.
Gadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, confirmed the 4 MILF casualties and asked for an investigation.
This is not the first time that MILF rebels joined Abu Sayyaf forces in Basilan. This is definitely a violation of the truce agreement with the MILF. The MILF should be held accountable for the peace and order in their areas, including the rampant kidnappings.
The second one occurred very recently when the some MILF members flagged down a police convoy at a secluded stretch of the Narciso Ramos Highway in Balindong, Lanao del Sur and set free their detained relatives policemen were to bring to the provincial jail in Marawi City.
Chief Supt. Noel Delos Reyes, director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police, has tagged a local band of MILF guerrillas as behind the attack.
The MILF gunmen carted away the firearms of the policemen they took at gunpoint before they escaped, along with their relatives, whom members of the Picong town police were to bring to Marawi City a day after they were arrested for illegal possession of firearms.
These two incidents underscored the MILF inability to police their ranks. It also serves as a warning to everyone in Mindanao that even if there is already a peace accord, MILF cannot guarantee that their members will be able to follow all of its provision.
Just a few days after President Benigno Aquino III was able to convince the biggest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines to sit down with the government and sign the historic pact on 27 March 2014, there were already two major skirmishes between the armed forces and the criminal elements associated with the MILF.
The first one was reported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista and it involved a clash between government troops with the terroristic Abu Sayyaf who were joined by family members from MILF.
Gadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, confirmed the 4 MILF casualties and asked for an investigation.
This is not the first time that MILF rebels joined Abu Sayyaf forces in Basilan. This is definitely a violation of the truce agreement with the MILF. The MILF should be held accountable for the peace and order in their areas, including the rampant kidnappings.
The second one occurred very recently when the some MILF members flagged down a police convoy at a secluded stretch of the Narciso Ramos Highway in Balindong, Lanao del Sur and set free their detained relatives policemen were to bring to the provincial jail in Marawi City.
Chief Supt. Noel Delos Reyes, director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police, has tagged a local band of MILF guerrillas as behind the attack.
The MILF gunmen carted away the firearms of the policemen they took at gunpoint before they escaped, along with their relatives, whom members of the Picong town police were to bring to Marawi City a day after they were arrested for illegal possession of firearms.
These two incidents underscored the MILF inability to police their ranks. It also serves as a warning to everyone in Mindanao that even if there is already a peace accord, MILF cannot guarantee that their members will be able to follow all of its provision.