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| Southeast Asia |
| Reward offered for Philippine Muslim rebel |
| 2007-04-19 |
| Authorities in the Philippines are offering a $21,000 reward for the capture Habier Malik, a Muslim rebel commander believed linked to the Abu Sayyaf group. The Voice of America reported Wednesday the Philippine government has blamed Malik for the recent fighting on Jolo island in which 21 have died. Malik, identified as a renegade commander of the Moro National Liberation Front, and his group are accused of firing mortar rounds last week on two Philippine Marine camps. The fighting that followed also displaced thousands of people on the island, the report said. Last February, Malik was accused of holding a Philippine general hostage for two days, the report said. The Philippine military says Malik has several hundred armed followers, and may now be working with the Abu Sayyaf, which is demanding a Muslim homeland in the Philippines. The military was quoted as saying the reward money is for the capture of Malik and his followers, and is not aimed against the MNLF, with whom the government has signed a peace treaty. |
| Posted by:ryuge |