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May 24, 2006
Philippines: Four Soldiers Killed By Islamists On Jolo
News from the China Post and Manila Times states that four Filipino soldiers have been killed in separate incidents on the Island of Jolo (see map) in the southern Philippines.
Jolo was the scene of an insurgency which began last year on November 11, when patrolling soldiers were ambushed by a combined force of rebels from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Islamists led by the one-armed horse-riding local leader of Abu Sayyaf, Radullan Sahiron.
The insurgency continued until it was officially ended by a truce, brokered in January. The leader of the MNLF is Nur Misauri. He is currently in prison, following an attack he made upon an army base in Jolo in November 2001, which saw 100 people killed.
One of the soldiers killed in the recent attacks at the weekend was shot while he was jogging near the airport, and another was shot in downtown Jolo town. The two other soldiers were shot in separate incidents.
The MNLF is officially under orders from its leadership to step down its terror activities, while a delegation from the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) is visiting the Philippines to discuss implementation of a peace deal which was brokered in August 1996.
The Abu Sayyaf group is a terror organisation with ties to Jemaah Islamiyah. They are responsible for kidnappings and other atrocities, but in many ways their activities are close to banditry. Formerly they numbered about 1,000 members on the island of Jolo, and they kept control by decapitating locals who were regarded as collaborators. With US backing, the Philippines military has reduced their number on Jolo to about 400.
Today's Khaleej Times reports that a bizarre request by the predominantly Catholic Philippines to join the OIC has been met with opposition from the other main Muslim group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). This group has been involved with peace talks with the government of Gloria Arroyo.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 24, 2006 8:34 PM
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