By Joyce Pangco Pañares
Manila Standard Today
Moro Islamic Liberation Front tells government negotiators that Dan Asnawi, blamed for the Oct. 18 attack that killed 19 soldiers, enjoys safe haven in its camps
MORO rebels on Sunday said they would continue to protect a commander who led the Oct. 18 attack that killed 19 soldiers in Al-barka, Basilan, and made that clear in their talks with the government last week in Kuala Lumpur.
“Commander [Dan] Asnawi is not part of a lost command. We will not surrender him,” said Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
“He enjoys protection and safe haven in MILF camps.”
Asnawi, the MILF’s second highest ranking commander in Basilan, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the beheading of 14 Marines in 2007.
Iqbal said the only way to resolve the issue was to look back into the results of a probe of the 2007 beheading of government troops.
“The truth is that the MILF has been cleared of the beheading incident,” he said.
“In effect, Commander Asnawi was attacked by government troops [during the recent Basilan clash].”
Michael Mastura, a member of the MILF’s peace panel, said the rebels wanted the talks to continue, and to have the international monitoring team overseeing the cease-fire between the two sides to investigate and the Oct. 18 killings.
“What is important is to move forward,” Mastura said.
Earlier, the government’s chief negotiator Marvic Leonen said the MILF “reaffirmed that it will coordinate with government with respect to its efforts to interdict kidnap-for-ransom groups, criminal syndicates and lost commands” during their meeting last week in Malaysia.
He did not say if the cooperation would extend to Asnawi and two other rebel leaders.
After the MILF refused to surrender Asnawi, the Army said it would no longer recognize the rebel group’s “area of temporary stay” in Basilan where Asnawi is believed to be hiding.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said the ATS in Ginanta village had been “terminated.”
Ortiz said the Army would continue to pursue Asnawi and Abu Sayyaf commander Long Malat.
“If they do not agree to the surrender, then we will enter those areas. No one’s above the law,” acting Army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc said.
But Iqbal said the rebels were confident the Army would not launch an attack while the international monitoring team was investigating the Al-barka incident.
The MILF said it would seek a dialogue with three Catholic bishops who had criticized the government’s decision to give the rebels P5 million to establish a Bangsamoro leadership development institute.
“We will reach out to them first through a mutually acceptable go-between,” said Jun Mantawil, of the MILF peace panel secretariat, on the group’s Web site.
“We have very reliable lines of communication with the Catholic Church.”
Mantawil said it was unfortunate that Church leaders had been issuing statements encouraging hatred and animosity instead of promoting peace. With Florante S. Solmerin
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