Fighting intensifies in Philippines (Updated)

Government rejects Murad's request for suspension of AFP/PNP offensive telling Muslim rebels to surrender commanders: Malacanang shot down Sunday the request of the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the government to suspend its offensive in Mindanao. Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza in a text message to Malacanang reporters, said 'There is no all-out war in Mindanao. This is waging all-out peace in Mindanao,' as he called on MILF chairman Al-Haj Murad to prove his sincerity by surrendering the three MILF base commanders who have been sowing terror in Mindanao over the past three weeks.'The inaction of the MILF leadership will be construed as its tacit approval of the criminal acts of its three commanders and will be a clear proof of the MILF leadership's insincerity to pursue the conclusion of the peace talks,' stressed Dureza.


....Dureza, a former congressman of Davao City, said 'the military and the police cannot suspend their law enforcement operations unless the three base commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are neutralized and punished in accordance with our laws for their acts of terrorism against innocent and helpless civilians.' 'We want to continue peace negotiations but not at the expense of our laws. We have gone a long way for peace but not at the expense of our innocent civilians who seek vindication for the violence inflicted on them by those lawless MILF groups. Our peace-loving citizens expect no less,' concluded Dureza.

Fighting between Muslim separatists and troops has intensified in southern Philippines, undermining hopes for fresh peace talks. More than 100 fighters have been killed in four days of clashes with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Mindanao island, Colonel Julieto Ando, a military spokesman, said on Sunday.  "Fighting intensified overnight with battles raging near the towns of Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Piang, all in the Maguindanao province," Ando said.  "We have done our best to embrace peace, but the MILF started the hostilities by pillaging villages and murdering innocent civilians in Mindanao," he said. 

'Peace talks breaking'
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief peace negotiator, warned of a return to full-scale hostilities.
"This is a grim scenario and I don not even want to think about  it, but if the peace talks collapse then there will be war again in Mindanao," he said. "The voice of reason is dwarfed by the voice of hatred and prejudice ... the peace talks are slowly breaking apart and if this continues, may God help us all," Iqbal said.  Muslim rebels had urged the Philippine government on Saturday to halt the military offensive. Al-Haj Murad, chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, told a news conference at a rebel base near southern Cotabato city that the military has started indiscriminate attacks while pursuing rebel commanders blamed for leading the rampage.  The rebels, who have been fighting for Muslim self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation for decades, have said they regret a recent upsurge in violence and that the commanders responsible acted on their own.   Murad said peace talks should resume, but he repeated earlier rejections of a government demand that the rebel commanders who led the attacks be turned over to face the criminal justice system. "We cannot subject our members to the laws of the government," Murad said. "We are a revolutionary force." He suggested that the correct forum to deal with the rebel commanders should be a cease-fire committee involving the government, the rebels and an international truce motoring group led by Malaysia.

'Deadline'

Murad said a deadline of sorts looms because the truce group's mandate is set to expire on August 31. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Philippine president, had on Thursday scrapped the deal after Christians and politicians in Mindanao objected to what they saw as an unconstitutional move to create an independent Muslim state. The country's supreme court had earlier ruled against the deal.  Police special forces with shoot-to-kill orders immediately launched a manhunt for MILF fighters. The rebel group has rejected government demands for the surrender of two renegade commanders, Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Bravo. Both have a $113,000 arrest bounty placed on them for recent attacks on civilians.  On Friday, Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, said that "fighting continued today with the military using air and ground assets, apparently to get Commander Kato".  Kato is said to have launched a series of attacks on villages and towns two weeks ago that killed scores and displaced thousands of people.  The MILF leadership has distanced itself from the attacks on the towns and blamed renegade fighters led by Bravo.

Escalating violence

Meanwhile local political leaders, fearing more violence, are reported to have have begun arming civilians to protect themselves against rebel attacks.  Ayesha Alonto-Datu Ramos, an expert on the Mindanao region, said some local leaders and politicians were profiting from the conflict.  She said: "...people that are benefiting from the war in Mindanao... pre-empted whatever good faith the government and the MILF may have had by the onslaught of this violence that they have had, and also by... ugly prejudicial statements and actions coming from the non-Muslims of the area, who are scared of losing whatever stakehold they might have in the Bangsamoro area."  Amnesty International said on Friday the rebels "should be held to account" for serious violations of international law. It also warned that the deployment of civilian militias on the government side "can set off a chain of reprisals and only increase the danger facing civilians".  The Philippine military has a decades-old policy of arming civilians to reinforce security forces and protect local communities.