AFP LAMENTS OVER BASILAN AND SIBUGAY CLASHES

By:Bernie Concepcion  Zamboanga City,Philippines -The military in Mindanao has expressed its concerns over the recent bloody incidents in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay provinces which claimed dozens of lives to include AFP soldiers and caused dislocations of innocent civilians.   At the same time, the military strongly condemned the acts of atrocities even as it vowed to maintain its resolve to continue its mandated mission as peacekeeping force in Southern Philippines.   " We were saddened by the incidents in Basilan and Sibugay which involved our troops and rebels (MILF) but we have to be steadfast and continue to protect the civilian populace," a  top official of the 4th Civil Relations Group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.   4th CRG Commander, Lt.  Col. Gamal Hayudini in a statement said the two incidents were "unfortunate and unexpected"  considering that those who will suffer most of the possible repercussion are the local populace who shall bear the blunt of war.   Hayudini  said that with the incident, the AFP's  primordial concern is to look after the displaced civilians in several barangays in Al- Barka municipality and in other neighboring villages in Basilan towns who have evacuated from their homes.   Initial report revealed that thousands of families in 5 barangays alone were affected by the recent clash. These were in Barangay Kailih, Cambug, Macalang, Danapah and Linuan in Al Barka.  The displaced families are temporarily sheltered in Barangays Bato-Bato, Apil-Apil, Magkawa , Guinanta, Bohe Tambak and Bucalao. Other villagers are terrified of the present situation, he said.   As an immediate response to the incident in Basilan, the AFP has formed a team to conduct an independent investigation of what really transpired last Oct. 18 in Basilan in order to dig deeper into the circumstances of the incident. The probe body is led by Maj General  Ireneo C. Espino, AFP Inspectorate General.   Hayudini has conversed with Basilan Vice-Governor Alrashid Sakalahul yesterday regarding the plight of the civilians and  as what help could be extended to them in terms of relief services and to attend to their  immediate needs  to lessen their ordeal while in evacuation centers.   Last Thursday, President Nonoy Aquino has ordered the conduct of investigation on the clash between the Army's Special Forces and alleged elements of the Basilan-based Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerillas despite the on-going peace negotiations initiated by the government and the leaders of the rebel group.   Hayudini appealed to Basilan officials and its residents to cooperate with the team of investigators to get into the bottom of the incidents so that we can ferret out the truth while at the same time, we can conclusively pinpoint responsibility in the issue.   In Sibugay, the Kabasalan and Alicia ambuscade which claimed 7 soldiers and a policeman occurred barely two days after MILF forces killed 19 soldiers in Al-Barka, Basilan, including 3 officers were slain in Basilan.  Scores of others were injured in the two separate incidents.   Meanwhile. Hayudini  emphasized  that the military will carry out its commitment of trying to win the peace and not just to defeat the enemy through wars.   "We will continue to uphold our commitment by not only defeating the enemy through armed confrontations alone but also by winning the peace," Col. Hayudini stressed.   Furthermore, Hayudini  urging  the civilians to take their active role in helping the authorities against the lawlessness, so that the success of winning the peace will be enjoyed by every communities in the region.  (faber_concepcion2004@yahoo.com)