RP troops clash with MNLF, 12 killed<\/p>\n
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Twelve people were killed
\nThursday during a gunfight between soldiers and former Moro
\nseparatist rebels in the southern Philippines city of Marawi, the
\nmilitary said.<\/p>\n
Ten of the dead were civilians and the two others were former
\nmembers of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), army Col.
\nAntonio Seville said.<\/p>\n
The gunmen claimed six soldiers were also killed but this
\ncould not be independently confirmed.<\/p>\n
The fighting erupted before dawn Thursday when a battalion of
\ninfantry moved into a Marawi neighborhood after residents
\ncomplained of a heavy presence of ex-MNLF gunmen.<\/p>\n
Numbering around 30, the gunmen led by ex-MNLF commander
\nMitomara Amir Sadic opened fire when soldiers tried to disarm
\nthem, triggering heavy fighting.<\/p>\n
They then briefly held hostage several civilians, including
\nwomen and children, and later torched part of a commercial
\nbuilding they had taken over in the city's market area.<\/p>\n
Soldiers, backed by armored vehicles, surrounded the building
\nat noon and exchanged gunfire with the rebels, who ignored
\nappeals from Muslim elders to surrender but freed the civilians.<\/p>\n
Thirty-two gunmen, including their leader Sadic, were
\narrested. Four among them were injured.<\/p>\n
Ten civilians were killed in the crossfire and two soldiers
\nwere hurt, the military said.<\/p>\n
The military had to evacuate about 100 families at the height
\nof the intermittent battle which lasted 14 hours.<\/p>\n
Seville said the standoff ended shortly before sundown at
\nabout 5:00 pm (1600 Jakarta time), when the military mounted a
\nfinal assault and stormed the building.<\/p>\n
\"We captured dozens of gunmen and lawless elements after the
\nsoldiers assaulted the building. We are in full control of the
\nsituation and we are in the process of interrogating the lawless
\ngroup,\" Seville said.<\/p>\n
MNLF official Abdurrahman Jamasali denounced the army assault.<\/p>\n
\"The raid is a serious violation of the 1996 peace accord,\"
\nunder which the MNLF ended 24 years of separatist rebellion and
\naccepted limited self-rule in four southern provinces, Jamasali
\ntold reporters here.<\/p>\n
About 7,500 MNLF fighters were integrated into the military
\nand police forces following the peace deal, while MNLF leaders
\nwere elected to key positions in the autonomous government. But
\nthe rest of the rebel force refused to disarm.<\/p>\n
Jamasali, the interior undersecretary of the regional
\ngovernment, said the MNLF would raise a protest with the national
\ngovernment.
\n\" The military should have coordinated first with the MNLF\"
\nbefore entering Marawi, which is part of the Autonomous Region of
\nMuslim Mindanao, he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rp-troops-clash-with-mnlf-12-killed-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}