Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters in the two provinces of Lanao, condemned last Friday's ambush that left four soldiers killed and wounded another in Munai town, Lanao del Norte.
Macapaar said the entire Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces in the North Western Mindanao, which he commands, sends its “utmost sympathy” to the slain soldiers.
He said the ambush was “highly condemnable” since the soldiers who were killed “were not part of a combat unit nor were taking part in a combat” operations.
“It is downright haram,” Macapaar said in a statement.
Macapaar also condemned the perpetrators who were allegedly remnants of the Dawlah Islamiyah terror group, described by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as a “spent force” after several military operations decimated its ranks in the two Lanao provinces.
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He urged all MILF commanders under his command to help and assist Philippine military forces in running after the perpetrators of the January 23 attack.
Macapaar also asked the public to understand that the MILF and Philippine government are committed to ensuring justice for the slain soldiers.
The Philippine government and the MILF signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) on March 27, 2014, ending decades of armed conflict in Mindanao.
In a meeting with local military officials in Iligan City last Saturday, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the perpetrators of the January 23 ambush that left four soldiers dead and wounded another were done by Dawlah Islamiyah militants.
The Climate Conflict Action, an independent NGO monitoring group, warned that there is a resurging recruitment among the youth in Central Mindanao and Lanao provinces, contrary to military claims.
Louise Marie Lara, Climate Conflict Action communications manager, said there are persistent reports of recruitment of the Dawlah Islamiyah in the past two years.
Lara said as proof, there are 91 percent of violent incidents allegedly committed by the militant group resulting in 30 deaths and arrest of DI-linked financiers and recovery of high-powered firearms.
She said the Davao visit of the Bondi shooters last November and the November 15 encounter in Pagayawan town, Lanao del Sur, that killed the DI leader “Abu Jihad” and his wife—pointed to that direction for alarm.
Lara said these incidents all pointed to a resurgence of violent extremists that are now capable of engaging government forces.
“This resurgence comes at a particularly critical and vulnerable moment. With the BARMM parliamentary elections approaching and the larger electoral contests in 2028 on the horizon,” Lara said.
Lara said the resurgence of the militant group carries the potential for destabilizing a fragile peace accord and can undermine the gains of the Bangsamoro region.
