SIX DEAD, 35 HOSTAGED IN MNLF ZAMBO ATTACK

By Julie S. Alipala, Karlos Manlupig, Charlie Señase

Inquirer Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Government forces were locked in a standoff with rebels who were holding 35 hostages in a village here on Monday following a failed attack by a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) opposed to peace talks between the administration of President Aquino and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The attacks by members of the MNLF faction led by Nur Misuari appeared to have been timed for the resumption of talks between the government and the MILF peace panels in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

Between 200 and 300 followers of Misuari entered coastal villages on the outskirts of Zamboanga City by boat at dawn, triggering clashes with government forces that left at least one Navy Special Forces soldier and four civilians killed and six other Navy soldiers, including an officer, and 14 civilians wounded, the military said. An earlier report said one policeman was also killed.

Fighting later spread to the city itself, with Misuari’s followers taking civilian hostages in Sta. Catalina village here to thwart an attack by government forces.

Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, a spokesman for the military, said some of Misuari’s fighters were boxed in the coastal village of Rio Hondo and refused to negotiate with security forces.

Hostages

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the MNLF fighters were holding 38 people and were demanding to be allowed to march to city hall and hoist their flag there.

A spokesman for the MNLF group holed up in Sta. Catalina, Paul Aukasa, corrected Salazar’s information, saying the Moro fighters were holding 35 people—10 women, two children and 23 men.

“We seized them by the roadside so the soldiers won’t shoot when they see us.”

Early reports said around 200 residents of the attacked villages—Sta. Catalina, Sta. Barbara, Rio Hondo and Talon-Talon—were taken hostage by Misuari’s followers.

But Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the civilians were just “stranded.”

“They are not under the armed control of the MNLF,” Tutaan said.

Salazar ordered the military and the police to secure hospitals, news outlets, utilities and commercial establishments to prevent Misuari’s fighters from taking more hostages, and gaining access to public communication, medicines and provisions.

City shut down

Aviation authorities suspended all commercial flights to Zamboanga International Airport and ferry services to the Port of Zamboanga as government troops secured points of entry to prevent the entry of more followers of Misuari.

Rodante Joya, chief financial officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said commercial flights to Zamboanga would remain suspended “until further notice.”

Salazar said the city grandstand had been converted into an emergency center for more than 300 people who had been evacuated from their homes on the coast.

“Everything is being done to resolve the crisis as soon as possible with minimal damage to life and property,” Salazar said.

Attack denounced

The government denounced the attack, which appeared to have been designed to sabotage peace talks between the state and the MILF.

“We condemn the attack on Zamboanga City in the strongest possible terms,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement issued by Malacañang.

“It is incumbent on all people of goodwill to reject the violence that has erupted,” Lacierda said. “The ongoing attack of armed individuals in Zamboanga City, including initial reports of the possible use of civilians as human shields, is a cause for great concern. The authorities are responding to the situation in a manner that will reduce the risk to innocent civilians and restore peace and order to Zamboanga City at the soonest possible time.”

Lacierda said President Aquino had ordered Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to go to Zamboanga City to deal with the situation.

(Photo caption: Inquirer photo shows MNLF hostages in Zamboanga City.)

Source: Manny Piñol