Posted on 03/05/2015 11:05:29 PM PST by Citizen Zed
A Philippine army offensive against a Muslim rebel faction has forced 70,000 people from their homes, a district governor said on Friday as he appealed for an end to the fighting, saying he was running out of money to feed the displaced.
The predominantly Christian Philippines has been battling Muslim rebels in the south of the archipelago for decades and while negotiations with the biggest group have raised hopes for peace, fighting with smaller factions erupts regularly.
The latest clashes are between the army and a faction known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in a marshy region of Mindanao island.
Mujiv Hataman, the governor of the region, said 70,000 people had fled army shelling and he called on the military to end the violence.
"I wish the army would end its offensive against the rebels because we are running out of funds to feed and shelter tens of thousands of people from 11 towns around the marshland," Hataman told a radio station.
He said the army had told him they needed three more days.
An army spokesman, Brigadier-General Jose Kakilala, said soldiers were still pursuing the rebels.
"I cannot say we can end the offensive in 72 hours, it depends on the assessment of the ground commander but we can certainly consider the appeal of the governor," he said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the number of displaced people was rising while a health officer in the region said civilians needed food, clean water and access to sanitation.
The fighting has raised concern about a fragile peace process between the government and the biggest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has links with the BIFF.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
ping
Religion of Peace spreading its word in another sh!th0le corner of the planet. Obama is smiling.
The war has been going on here in the PI for 30+ years. The MNLF signed a treaty with the Gov’t, then let the MILF, then the ASG, and now the BIFF become their military arm and continue to fight. It never end’s with muslims.
Article says “waging a fight for decades”?!! How about over a hundred years. These people ever hear of the Moro rebellion, put down by General Pershing? The US leaving Subic and other areas severely curtailed the back channel intel on the communist/muslim horde trying to destroy a beautiful Christian country. We need to help them irradicate the muzzies. Not tolerate them one damn bit.
‘Course we all know that those ickey CHRISTIANS are not allowed any GUNS to defend theyselves.
Hence, it’s all left to a corrupt “army” or “police” or whatever.
Rotsa ruck.
Ends.
Why is that a problem?
Just imagine if the idiot George W. Bush had declared actual war on Islam, closed hundreds of radical mosques in America, banned all foreign funding for mosques in the U.S., funded anti-Muslim operations worldwide, instead of taking his shoes off in a filthy Brotherhood mosque while the WTC still smoldered, calling Islam a religion of peace, trusting Pakistan, giving the Saudis a pass, continuing the Arab-Israeli “peace process”, using a soft hand with Islamists in Iraq like Al Sadr, etc? He had the whole world behind him, and blew it.
Strange how many threads about MILF got pulled. I wonder why?
You are absolutely correct. We could have sent islam back to the desert. Instead, we ended up with a muslim president.
Islamic Freedom seems like an oxymoron to me. Citizens can be displaced by the fighting, or they can be slaughtered by the Muslims in their march to win converts.
My folks and I visited the PI in ‘59 and 1960. Plenty of guns in circulation back then.
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