Rebels surrender in southern RP

Rebels surrender in southern RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (DPA): A top commander and 24
followers belonging to the largest rebel group seeking a separate
state in the southern Philippines have surrendered to the
military, an official said yesterday.

Capt. Salih Indanan, spokesman of the Armed Forces Southern
Command, said the rebels, headed by Commander Tarsila Balani,
were part of the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometers south of Manila.

Balani's group was the second batch of MILF fighters who
surrendered to the military in a week. The first group was led by
Abdul Racman Mansawi, chief of religious affairs for the Bangsa
Moro Islamic Armed Forces.

The MILF, which boasts 120,000 regular fighters and some
300,000 militiamen, has been holding exploratory peace talks with
the government since 1996. The two have signed a cease-fire
agreement but it has been frequently violated with bloody clashes
over conflicting territorial claims.