Cotabato City, Philippines - The Philippines' largest Muslim
separatist rebel group on Monday called on international human rights
groups to investigate a fierce firefight in a southern province last
week that left 14 marines dead.
An official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denied
that their forces were behind the beheading and mutilation of 10 of
the 14 marines slain during the fighting on July 10 in Tipo-Tipo town
in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila.
Muhammad Ameen, head of the MILF secretariat, said one of their
comrades, Imam Alkanul, who was seized by the soldiers a few hours
before the fighting broke out, was also found dead with slashed
throat and hack wounds on his back.
'The extent of barbarity to the dead marines and to Imam Alkanul
must be investigated by an international body so that whoever were
responsible must answer to their crimes,' he said.
'We (MILF) are willing to face any investigation especially by
international human rights groups,' said Musawwarin Abubakar, leader
of the MILF forces in Basilan.
'Only Hitler's manic personality would do such a dastardly act and
we condemn this beheadings in the strongest terms possible,' he
added.
The military and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have condemned
the beheading and mutilation of the 10 slain marines, and have
urged the MILF to turn over members who might be involved in the
gruesome killing.
Arroyo has also asked the MILF to stand down and allow the
military to hunt down the perpetrators of the killing.
The military has already dispatched additional troops to Basilan
in preparation for more offensives.
Armed forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon said the
military was conducting its own probe on the incident.
'They (MILF) admitted that the ambush was perpetrated by them so
they must now bring out the offenders, those who beheaded our
marines,' he said.
The military was also conducting a separate investigation into the
misfiring and non-firing of mortars used by the marines during the
Tipo-Tipo fighting.
A television cameraman, who was with the marines during the
firefight, was able to shoot video footages of the fighting that
showed some marines attempting to fire their 81mm mortars, but to no
avail.
Esperon has already ordered the recall of all 81mm mortars
acquired from the US military. Each mortar costs between 134 dollars
and 150 dollars.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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