Moro fighters launched Monday coordinated attacks involving land and sea forces in at least two provinces in Mindanao, torching houses, occupying and ransacking banks and commercial shops and killing at least 34 civilians and three soldiers. Government officials said more than 200 MILF fighters swooped down on several towns in Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces, engaging Philippine military and police forces in intense gun battles. Senator Richard Gordon confirmed that Moro forces held hostage several civilians in Kolambugan town in Lanao del Norte province. “A lot of people tried to flee by going to the sea but there were rebels waiting there. It's a coordinated effort,” Gordon told a radio station Monday. Kolambugan town mayor Beltran Lumagi earlier informed Gordon on the developments in his town. Gordon is the chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross. Lumagi said the Moro fighters entered his town before dawn Monday. “They are now in the town center, they have taken over the business center, the rural banks, pawnshops,” he said on radio. He said police and military forces were trying to repel the intruders and that fighting was intense. He said the attackers also set fire to the town's public market and a passenger bus. Local officials said Moro forces also attacked Kauswagan and Maigo, two other towns in Lanao del Norte province, triggering fierce gun battles with government forces. The officials said highways connecting the two towns were closed after the attackers formed a blocking force against government soldiers. In nearby Sarangani province, Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez said MILF fighters onboard two pump boats attacked Maasim town early Monday and ransacked a pawnshop and other shops in the town. He said the attackers also fatally shot two civilians. “The attackers barged into a pawnshop and a drugstore and looted them. While they were on their way to the municipal hall, they passed by a karaoke bar where they found two customers singing. They shot and killed them without any provocation,” Dominguez said in Pilipino. He said the Moro fighters later fled to the mountains, with police and military troops in hot pursuit. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the attacks were clear violations of the agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF. He said the government will apply the full force of the law against the MILF forces, adding that the military will treat the Moro attackers as criminals. “They are taking hostages and ransacking businesses. These are plain criminal actions and have no justification,” he said. Teodoro blamed the MILF leadership for the latest upsurge of violence in the region, saying they have failed to control their local commanders. The MILF leadership, however, said they have not approved the attacks conducted by their forces in Lanao del Norte and Sarangani province on Monday. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said they are still verifying the situation on the ground. “This is not sanctioned. There is no such order from MILF leadership to launch an attack on government forces,” Kabalu said. The attacks on Monday came a day after MILF forces ambushed a military convoy, killing four soldiers and three pro-government militiamen in Lanao del Sur province. Eight other soldiers and three militiamen were wounded in the attack. The MILF has been waging a separatist rebellion since 1978, but it signed a ceasefire agreement with Manila in 2003, paving the way for peace talks. __
