January 5, 2001, The Philippine Star, MILF executes 2 commanders, by John Unson,

January 5, 2001, The Philippine Star, MILF executes 2 commanders, by John Unson, 

COTABATO CITY — Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels executed two of their foreign-trained commanders in Mamasapano, Maguindanao the other day, just as the two were about to meet government emissaries working out their return to the fold of the law.

Capt. Ricardo Ellorda, deputy civil-military relations chief of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said the slain MILF commanders, Kagui Gani Abdul and Dong Abdul, were on their way to the town proper of Mamasapano when their comrades flagged down their vehicle and shot them.

Local sources said the slain Moro rebel leaders, both trained in Afghanistan, earlier had sent surrender feelers to an Army unit based in a nearby town. They agreed to initially meet, the other day, representatives of a non- government organization helping them avail of the government's amnesty program for Muslim rebels.

"Based on feedback from local residents, they would surrender along with their followers so their hardcore companions executed them to intimidate other MILF rebels (who are thinking of surrendering, too)," Ellorda said. Last month, 87 MILF rebels from the Maguindanao towns of Buldon, Barira and Matanog surrendered to the 6th ID.

Preceding the incident in Mamasapano was an hour-long encounter between MILF rebels and combatants of the 3rd Marine Brigade near Camp Abubakar, the MILF's former bastion at the boundary of Matanog and Buldon towns which government troopers now occupy. Ellorda said six rebels, mostly in their teens, were killed in the firefight. The gunbattle erupted when the Marines chanced upon the rebels while they were patrolling a secluded area near Camp Abubakar. The Marines seized four M-16 Armalite rifles, a caliber .30 Garand and a B-40 rocket launcher from the slain guerrillas. Ellorda said the rebels fled toward different directions when Army and Marine reinforcements arrived at the scene. — With Roel Pareño