MILF: 13 soldiers killed in Sarangani offensive

(Updated 11:44 a.m.) MANILA, Philippines - Thirteen soldiers were killed when it attacked a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) base in Maasim, Sarangani province Saturday, the MILF claimed Sunday. In an article posted on the MILF’s website, the rebel group said the firefight started about 7 a.m. and ended “until almost sunset.” The MILF said they got the fatality figure from “a source privy to where the dead soldiers were brought.” “Instead of engaging the elements of the 105th Base Command, the military attacked the forces of the 107th Base Command manning the Post 1 of their Camp Khalid Bin Walid at Pananag," the MILF said. The 105th Base Command of the MILF is headed by Kumander Umbra Kato, who has a P5 million bounty on his head for leading the attack in 15 villages in North Cotabato early this month. The military, on the other hand, denied that 13 of their troops were killed in the attack, according to a GMA Flash Report. The television report quoted Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres as saying that four soldiers were wounded in the offensive. The MILF said Saturday’s firefight forced hundreds of civilians from the villages of Pananag, Lumasal, Kanolo and Nomoh, all of Maasim town, to flee their homes. It said the residents sought assistance from Gov. Miguel Dominguez who was reported to have fueled the military cleansing operations against the MILF. As this developed, the MILF asked the United Nations to intervene and stop an "impending humanitarian disaster." It said non-government and humanitarian organizations such as the International Community of Red Cross, Non-Violence Peace Force, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Bantay Ceasefire, United Bangsamoro Youth Organizations have made efforts to extricate the trapped civilians. "This traumatic case is a serious infringement of human rights, International Humanitarian Law, Geneva Conventions Protocol II and can spur communal and ethnic conflicts between Muslims and Christians, a humanitarian crisis created by the state and government," the MILF said. "A United Nations mandated intervention is sought to come in order to an impending humanitarian disaster," it added. - GMANews.TV