Muslim rebels call on foreign human rights groups to probe fighting

Jul 16, 2007, 7:23 GMT

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.