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Aquino vows Zamboanga battle 'over soon'
Philippine President Benigno Aquino flew out of Zamboanga on Sunday, saying he expects the bloody battles to be over soon. He said, "I believe this will wind down within the day."Aquino also vowed to bring criminal charges against MNLF founder Nur Misuari, accused of being behind the militant incursion. About 200 MNLF rebels entered Zamboanga City, a major port with one million residents, on September 9 in the most serious militant challenge to the Philippine government in recent years. They took over several coastal districts, burning thousands of homes and taking dozens of civilians hostage, in protest over an impending peace deal with a rival Muslim militant group. Aquino flew to the area on September 13 to take direct command of operations, promising not to leave until the gunmen were pushed out of the city. Military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Ramon Zagala said, "The armed forces support the president's statement that this is almost over. We will work hard to finish this soonest." He said about 4,500 soldiers remained in the city to clear it of rebels after two weeks of deadly street fighting that left hundreds dead or wounded. More than 10,000 houses were set on fire and 111,000 civilian residents fled, according to the civil defense office in Manila. The military said there are now just several dozen fighters left, holding at least 20 hostages in a densely populated neighborhood. Zagala said, "We're now engaged in close-quarter combat, we are going from house to house, room to room." Posted by: ryuge 2013-09-23 |
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