July 12, 2007, Inquirer, Mindanao Bureau, Killing of religious leader may have triggered ambush, by Julie Alipala,

July 12, 2007, Inquirer, Mindanao Bureau, Killing of religious leader may have triggered ambush, by Julie Alipala,

ALBARKA, Basilan, Philippines -- The killing of a Muslim religious leader in the village of Ginanta here could have forced some residents, particularly members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), to put the law into their hands.

Mayor Jakilan Karam told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Ustadz Matarul Hakim Alkanul, a partially blind man, was found dead, his body riddled with bullets while his hands and feet were tied with a rope, near his residence in Ginanta village on July 10.

"Dahil sa nangyari sa nag-iisang imam dito, nagalit ang mga tao (The people were angered by what had happened to the lone imam here)," Karam said.

Karam and the police could not say who was behind religious leader's killing.

Alkanul's body was discovered Tuesday morning, hours before Marine soldiers were ambushed by MILF forces in the said village.

Fourteen soldiers were killed while nine others were wounded in that attack. Of the 14 soldiers, 10 were reportedly beheaded.

Albarka town is one of the three newly-created towns here. It is formerly part of Tipo-Tipo.

Karam and some local officials here said residents have been hostile against the Abu Sayyaf, clarifying earlier reports that the MILF fighters were joined by members of the Islamic extremist group.

Major General Raymundo Ferrer, Fourth Infantry Division commander, said Tipo-tipo is a known stronghold of the MILF in Basilan led by Hamsa Sapanton.

"I remember that at the height of campaign against Abu Sayyaf Group, there was no reported or monitored encounter in the area. Most of the engagements against these bandits were in Sumisip and Tuburan," Ferrer said.

Karam, however, could not say who was behind the beheading.

"Hindi ko masabi kung sino ang may gawa ng pagpupugot. Pero makikita mo ang matinding galit don (I cannot say for certain who did the beheading, but you can see it was done out of anger)," Karam said.

Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, Basilan police chief, confirmed the killing of Ustadz Hakim, "but we are still investigating if the mutilation (of soldiers) had something to do with the killing of the imam."

But Brigadier General Ramiro Alivio, First Marine Brigade commander, denied having a hand in the death of the imam.

"Gawa-gawa lang nila yang kwento (They just fabricated that story). If indeed there was an imam killed or wounded, he might have been caught in the crossfire. But as far as we are concerned, we don't execute people," Alivio said.

Alivio said the Marine soldiers were on their way back to their headquarters in Campo Uno in Lamitan City when ambushed.

The village of Ginanta is now considered no-man's land.

Karam said some 2,000 residents have abandoned their homes since Tuesday.

Three other neighboring villages, Linungan, Magtawa and Makalang, have also been deserted by their residents, who went to Tuburan and Lamitan towns.

"We don't have an evacuation center here," Karam said.

The Marine soldiers were in Ginanta to check reports of kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi being brought by his captors in the village.

Bossi was kidnapped in Payao town in Zamboanga Sibugay on June 10.

Karam said he also received reports of Bossi and his captors hiding in his town.

"Malaki na nga ang ginastos ko para palakarin ang mga tao ko, wala naman kaming nakikitang Bossi dito (I have spent a lot of money for search teams but we have not seen Bossi here)," he said.

But the mayor said the suspects in the kidnapping were sighted in the town. He said Nurwani Abdusalam, with several men, was seen in the village of Pakisong of Tipo-tipo Central on June 17.

Abdusalam allegedly went to the house of Nurhassan Jamiri in the village of Limbo Pas, the mayor added.

Karam said Jamiri is a known Abu Sayyaf member.

"Nagtagal sila dito ng mahigit sampung araw, tapos umalis sila. Di namin alam kung saan sila pumunta (They stayed here for around 10 days and then left. We don’t know where they went)," Karam said.

Abdusalam also visited his two nephews in Ginanta village.

Alivio said he was optimistic Bossi was being kept in one of the places in Basilan, citing as indication the surfacing of several informants bringing photos and audio recording of Bossi.

Former Tuburan mayor Hajarun Jamiri is among those who got the photos, taken with the use of a mobile phone.

Nurhassan is a nephew of the former mayor and is considered a "possible link" to the kidnapped Italian priest, Alivio said.

The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) said it was not happy at how things have turned out.

Father Gianni Sandalo, PIME's regional superior, told the Inquirer over the phone that "this should not be the way to solve and seek release of Father Giancarlo, force or violence is not the answer to solve the crisis."

"We are not happy of the incident. We are praying for the poor souls of innocent people, even those slain soldiers are innocent," Sandalo said.

"We should not solve problem by way of force, we should solve it thru dialogue, understanding and maintain respect and human dignity," Sandalo added.

This developed as the Joint Monitoring Team, which is investigating the incident, said it was having difficulties in convening its members.

Ramon Nunal Jr., chair of the Joint GRP-MILF Monitoring Team in Basilan, said his counterparts in the MILF, Sattar Alih and Hadj Antong Mungkay, are "afraid to come down" for fear of reprisal.

Nunal said both sides committed violations. He said the Marine soldiers went to Ginanta, a known MILF area, without proper coordination.

The MILF, on the other, also has to explain why 10 soldiers were mutilated, Nunal said.

"The mere fact that the Marines tapped and used government vehicles, as in the case of two dump trucks, and inviting media to cover it, coordination should have been established first prior to entering the place," Nunal said.


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