Philippine military begin full offensive against MILF

The Philippine military has commenced its full offensive against Muslim rebels early Saturday, forcing thousands of people to escape. Von Al Haq, spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said their forces under the 113th Base Command BIAF-MILF were having Subuh, early morning prayer for the Muslims around 5 a.m. at their camp at Sitio Taib, Barangay Labatan, Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay when mortar shells of 105 howitzers rained on their position. Heavy exchange of gun fires between the two forces was reported following the artillery strikes of the government forces. Al Haq warned the green light gave by President Benigno Aquino to his military commanders to carry out full offensive against their forces may escalate further and end up in full blown war. On Friday afternoon, he said two OV-10 fighter planes have dropped at least 26 bombs on their position on the outskirts of Labatan in the township of Payao around 3 p.m.. The air offensive lasted for an hour, forcing thousands of terrified people to abandon their homes. "The military's artillery attacks are going on. This is not good ingredients for the peace talks. We are worried that it may end up in full blown war," Al Haq said. Citing they have standing orders to their men on the ground to stay in defensive position, the rebel official said they could not control if their fighters in the Island provinces of Mindanao may stage sympathy attacks against government troops. "We have no redeployment of troops to Zamboanga Sibugay but if the situation there gets worst, it's another story," he said. President Aquino, while ruling out pursuit operations in the province of Basilan where 19 soldiers have been killed by MILF rebels, he gave the nod to the military offensive operations in Zamboanga Sibugay. The President said the military is pursuing lawless elements and that the provincial government has passed a resolution asking the military to pursue "wanted criminals." Over 3,000 families from the towns of Payao and Alicia have evacuated to safer grounds after government commenced their air strikes on Friday afternoon. On Thursday night, seven government troops, four of them soldiers, were killed while eight others wounded in simultaneous attacks staged by the rebels. The rebels owned up to attacks but justified its part of their retaliation against the military. Those incidents two days after MILF forces killed 19 soldiers on the remote southern island of Basilan in one of the worst outbreaks of violence between the two sides in years. In previous pronouncement, the MILF said they have more than 60, 000 weapons, factory and technologies they used for making rocket propelled grenade launchers. More over, the MILF said they have 120,000 fighters and political leaders all over Mindanao. In 2008, peace talks between the government and the MILF collapsed due to aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, prompting some MILF commanders to staged attacks on civilian communities. The MILF has been fighting government troops for decades to establish a self-rule Muslim state in the south of the predominantly Catholic country.