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MILF rebels put up last stand in Buliok
Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas and members of a kidnapping gang cornered by government troops in a marshy area in North Cotabato are putting up a stiff fight. As of yesterday afternoon, fighting was reported to be heavy in Buliok, where the MILF rebels and members of the Pentagon gang have been encircled by Army soldiers. Buliok, which lies on the edge of the Liguasan Marsh, is one of the remaining MILF strongholds under assault by government forces with orders to flush out criminal elements being harbored by the MILF. Other MILF lairs in Kabasalan, Rajamuda and Pikit have been overrun by government troops. About damned time, too... The military has thrown about 3,000 troops in the operation in North Cotabato where they face an estimated 1,000 rebels and gang members. Armed Forces spokesman Col. Essel Soriano said troops from the 40th Infantry Battalion were locked in fierce battle with the MILF and Pentagon in Buliok. âThe resistance is still heavy (in Buliok) and that made the troops in the ground take some time in getting the entire area,â Soriano said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. He added that once reinforcements arrive, the military could take Buliok anytime today. Get 'em there, then. Don't go counting chickens before the eggs are laid... A military source said Liguasan Marsh hides an MILF âwar factory.â Citing intelligence reports, the source told The Manila Times most of MILFâs weaÂpons were manufactured inside LiguaÂsan Marsh, which he described as a âvery dangerous area that has been infested by all sorts of criminal elements since time immemorial.â Arab-looking men were also seen in Liguasan, the source said, raising the suspicion that the MILF has been receiving assistance from foreign terrorist organizations. The MILF has repeatedly denied any links with foreign organizations. Nothing outside the ummah, anyway. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-02-14 |
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