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| Southeast Asia |
| No letup for Muslim rebels in Ramadan: Manila |
| 2008-09-01 |
| Philippine troops will continue offensives against Muslim rebels in the south but commanders will make "tactical adjustments" in deference to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, an official said Sunday. "Our operations against them are continuing even through the Ramadan," army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said over Manila radio. "There is no instruction for us to stop our offensive against the groups of Bravo and Kato. We cannot delay enforcement of laws." Soldiers have in the past week taken over more than a dozen camps controlled by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders Umbra Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, on the southern island of Mindanao. The two led deadly raids against mostly Christian towns on Mindanao in early August, triggering heavy reprisals from government forces. The fighting has claimed the lives of more than 100 rebels and more than 40 soldiers and civilians and forced more than 280,000 to flee their homes. Torres said the rebel leaders' forces had splintered into smaller groups on the run in the hinterland. The two men were said to be wounded and running low on ammunition amid the unrelenting offensive, which has put on hold any prospect of resuming peace talks with the separatists in the immediate term. Kato and Bravo are hard-line senior MILF members. They launched their attacks after the Supreme Court on August 4 blocked a deal that would have given the MILF control over an expanded Muslim autonomous area. Torres said ground commanders had been ordered to make some "tactical adjustments" including assisting Muslims in evacuation camps who want to go to mosques and places of worship. |
| Posted by:Fred |