About 500 Muslim rebels have withdrawn from two southern Philippine strongholds to let government forces launch an offensive against another Muslim group -- the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, a rebel spokesman said yesterday.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas, nearly 300 of whom were armed, withdrew from the southern towns of Talayan and Guindolongan Thursday to allow the jungle offensive to go ahead and avoid accidental clashes with government troops, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said. The guerrillas plan to return to their camps today unless the military asks for an extension, Kabalu said.
"This shows that we want to help the government in their campaign against lawless elements and criminal groups," Kabalu told reporters by telephone.
The Abu Sayyaf has been accused of high-profile kidnappings for ransom and deadly attacks, including the bombing of an inter-island ferry that killed more than 100 people last year.
The military launched an offensive early this month against an Abu Sayyaf band led by its chieftain, Khadaffy Janjalani, and several of his men near MILF camps in Talayan and Guindolongan in Maguindanao province, about 900km south of Manila.
Government troops and MILF rebels accidentally clashed two weeks ago in the mountainous region, resulting in the death of a Muslim rebel and the wounding of one soldier, who was aboard an air force Huey helicopter that was damaged by rebel fire, Kabalu said.
The MILF and the government have been holding Malaysian-brokered peace talks and have signed a ceasefire accord. A scheduled resumption of the talks this week in Malaysia is unlikely because neither side has confirmed its participation, he said.
Some military officials have accused the MILF of providing training grounds and sanctuary to Abu Sayyaf guerrillas and members of Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesia-based militant group also linked to al-Qaeda. The MILF has repeatedly denied the allegation, saying they could wage their battle for a separate homeland in the country's south even without outside help.
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