MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines' most wanted Islamist militant, who escaped after a raid in January that killed 44 police commandos, was killed on Sunday in firefight with Muslim rebels, officials said. Protracted police operations to arrest three Islamist high-value targets had become the biggest political crisis in five years for President Benigno Aquino and put at risk his government's peace efforts with Moro Islamic Liberation Front. A proposed law creating a new autonomous government for minority Muslims in the south of the mainly Catholic state in the poor Southeast Asia state has stalled as some lawmakers, civil society groups and activists called on Aquino to resign. "(Abdul) Basit Usman was killed in a firefight in Guindulungan, Maguindanao at around noon today," Herminio "Sonny" Coloma, the presidential communications secretary, said in a statement. "Usman was the second target of the operations conducted by the PNP-SAF to capture Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan last Jan. 25," he said referring to a commando raid on a Muslim rebel lair in Mamasapano town. In March 2014, the Front signed a peace deal with the government ending about 45 years of conflict that has killed 120,000 people and displaced 2 million. But, the rebels will not lay down weapons until after a final peace deal is reached. The rebels are waiting for government to set up a new Muslim autonomous government in the south, granting wider powers on its economy, politics and social life. The two militants were blamed for strings of bomb attacks in the southern Philippines. Both had links with the defunct Jemaah Islamiah, a regional al Qaeda-linked militant network and were subject of a combined $6 million bounty from the U.S. State Department. Coloma said there were no other details of the firefight. But army and police officials said Usman and five others were killed near a creek in Muti village. The peace deal was questioned after some Liberation Front rebels were blamed for the death of 44 police commandos, who went on a secret mission to arrest Marwan and Usman in January. Marwan was killed and Usman escaped in the operations. The government said it will file murder charges against 90 Muslim rebels who were found to be involved in the killing of 44 police commandos. Seventeen rebels and four civilians also died in the deadly clash in January 25. Philippine rebels kill most wanted Islamist militant in south - Business Insider These guys obviously can't be negotiated with. They can't even agree among themselves who should be in charge. Sign one peace deal and there will always be some that don't agree with it and break off to continue fighting.
Unfortunately that seems to be the case. In my mind there is no sense in the Phil Govt doing peace deals and giving MILF or whoever Mindanao, for example, because they will not be content with that, and will only want more, and use the wealth of that area to take over Manila in the future at any time they want.
It's one of the poorest regions in the Philippines. I don't think they would have much luck taking over any predominantly Christian area of the Philippines. I think the threat is with them slowly converting people to Islam and then demanding that the new converts be included in their autonomous region. They will slowly take over Mindanao. I don't think there is much hope for the Philippines when it comes to dropping religion, which is the only thing that would resolve this conflict.
Actually the Mindanao area is the most arable and fertile land in Phil, albeit probably not fully utilised. And, the mineral wealth there is enormous. There are many Foreign Companies that have wanted to fully mine the area for many years, but have been prevented. Don't think the MILF want it just for religious reasons alone.......lol............
Agree. The MILF doesn't want and open economy that produces wealth and prosperity in their region as the people would then become educated.....and the vast majority of educated people don't drink the Kool Aid and become devout conservative Muslims. The MILF will only accept improvements in the area if they have full control over the money coming in and can use it as they see fit (building mosques and buying religious texts....and lining their own pockets). These people only use religion as a means to assert and maintain their power. [DOUBLEPOST=1430733767,1430733683][/DOUBLEPOST] Spoiler: Senate Giving Muslim Extremists What They Want JUST like the House of Representatives, the Senate Committee on Local Government will also drop some provisions in the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law to remedy perceived violations of the Constitution, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Monday. Marcos said the provisions to be deleted in the Senate version of the bill are the ones allowing the creation of Bangsamoro constitutional bodies, like a Commission on Elections, Commission on Audit and the Civil Service Commission, and another one allowing the creation of a Bangsamoro Police Force. A third provision, the one on wealth-sharing, will be amended so that the right of other local government units to a share of the national income. Marcos said he will also propose the inclusion of a provision requiring Bangsamoro officials to pledge allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines and 1987 Constitution, as provided in a provision of the organic law of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. “I will introduce it as an amendment. Now we return to BBL the provision in the ARMM organic law that they continue to pledge allegiance to the Republic of the Philippines and that it will not be used as a first step for secession,” Marcos said. The senator stressed that people should be disabused of the belief that the BBL will be a “magic pill” that will cure all the problems of Mindanao. “I think that is our point that has been already raised, that we have raised many times. We go back and we have said that we have to take another perspective on this, and understand that BBL in and of itself is not that magic bullet, or magic pill that will fix all our problems,” Marcos said. “There are still many other issues that must be discussed,” he added. Marcos announced the looming changes to the BBL after congressmen revealed that nine provisions in the draft BBL will be dropped from the House version of the law. Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco announced that the controversial provisions should be deleted and if the MILF claims that is unacceptable “then game over.” Cojuangco said congressmen also want to delete the provisions allowing the creation of the Bangsamoro’s own Comelec, COA and CSC plus the provisions allowing the creation of the Bangsamoro’s own Commission on Human Rights and Ombudsman. The House version will also strike out the provision requiring the President to coordinate military operations with Bangsamoro leaders and the one empowering the Bangsamoro chief minister to have control of the police force. The congressman also did not agree that the Bangsamoro should have a different form of government from the national government and that areas outside of the Bangsamoro should be allowed to hold a plebiscite so that they can join the new entity. Marcos expressed concern that provisions of the Bangsamoro Basic Law would make it appear that if “you are at war with the government, we will pay you a huge amount. We will give you many advantages.” “That’s why I was joking that I will separate the Ilocano nation so we can also have P75 billion a year. Although it’s just a joke, that is the thinking,” said Marcos. While government peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer insisted that the Bangsamoro government has a budget of only P35 billion, senators however pointed out it would be getting a P75 billion allocation a year. Marcos said was even much bigger than the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. “So why are you rewarding? And the other local government units (LGUs) are saying that should not be the case,” he said. Here is another recent article where Manila is caving in to their demands. Grow a pair and remind them what country they are living in!
