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(UPDATE) MILF to military on Bossi: ‘We told you so’

‘Basilan wouldn’t have happened if you listened’

By Jeoffrey Maitem
Inquirer
First Posted 02:03pm (Mla time) 07/20/2007

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines —The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Friday said the release of Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi in Lanao del Norte proved that the information they have been feeding to the military, but were largely ignored, were correct after all.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said had the military listened to them that Fr. Bossi was not in Basilan, the incident where 14 Marine soldiers were killed, could have been avoided.

The incident in Albarka town, where 10 of the 14 slain Marines were beheaded, occurred as government forces were on their way home after a day of search and rescue for Bossi on the island.

"We are happy that indeed the priest was released. However, we were saddened that many lives were lost due to the intelligence report regarding the priest presence in Basilan," he said.

Iqbal said the MILF believes that the military had deliberately ignored the MILF information so that it could operate in rebel areas in Basilan.

"It's clear the military lied and used the report to attack our forces in Basilan," he said.

He cited alleged efforts by authorities to link the MILF to Bossi’s kidnapping even if the priest himself said his abductors introduced themselves as members of the Abu Sayyaf.

Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal, Western Mindanao police director, had tagged Bossi's abductors, led by Akiddin Abdusalam, as an MILF "lost command."

But Iqbal denied the MILF has a lost command and that Abdusalam was their member.

"He [Abdusalam] is an Abu Sayyaf," Iqbal said.

"Why [did] so many people have to die because of wrong intelligence report?” Khaled Musa, MILF deputy information chief, asked.

“We were deliberately attacked in Basilan and we just defended ourselves,” he said. “The military had launched three consecutive operations but they deliberately disregarded the prior coordination clause of the ceasefire agreement,"

In Davao City, Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon said the Basilan operation was part of the military's efforts to locate and recover Bossi.

He said the MILF could not claim that the Marines attacked the rebels’ camp to justify the July 10 clash.

Esperon maintained the Marines were ambushed and that the MILF was in serious violation of a ceasefire agreement with government.

The military chief said his deadline for the MILF to hand over its fighters involved in the Basilan incident, which ends on Sunday, stands.

"It will go up to Sunday," he said.

With a report from Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao; Originally posted at 02:04 pm


Copyright 2008 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



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