This week has not seen any more bombings such as the two last week in Sulatan Kudarat. The PNP and AFP have both increased their security and put all their men on the highest alert. Suspects in the Basilan bombing have been arrested.
They even foiled another IED attempt.
Authorities foiled on midnight Sunday an attempt to bomb the premises of the Datu Odin Sinsuat municipal police office using an improvised explosive device rigged on a motorcycle.
“It was very likely that the IED was set to explode in the morning of Monday. It was fortunate enough that vigilant residents and our police personnel there were able to prevent what could have been a bloody IED incident. Vigilance and patriotism among people can really help,” Mijares said.
The belt of martial law has been tightened and the whole country can now point to this relatively safe past week as proof that martial law is working. Right?
The imposition of martial law may be making places like Mindanao in the Philippines more vulnerable to terrorism and creating safe havens for extremists, a US Department of State official told visiting journalists here on Wednesday.
“The response to terrorism and our efforts in countering violent extremism cannot be an excuse for an overly aggressive law enforcement approach,” he said during a briefing for the 2018 East-West Center’s Seminar for Senior Journalists.
“We’ve learned very clearly that this suppression of basic human rights, of civil liberties of the things that are required of countries under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, if you violate those basic human rights and liberties, you’re actually bringing a greater ability to recruit people to violent extremism,” Saeed said.
“We have seen the suppression of basic human rights as a potential driver of terrorism,” he added.
He said the Philippines, especially Mindanao, was at a pivotal point considering the risks it faced from ISIS recruits.
“The Philippines is a very important place… as we start to look at the next iteration of ISIS and terrorist spiders,” he said.
Saeed said the more appropriate approach would be to make communities more aware of their responsibility to deny terrorists safe havens, especially in areas with no military response, such as Southeast Asia, Pakistan, and the Balkans.
The US State Dept says no, it's not working. But Saeed declines to elaborate on what "suppression of basic human rights" is taking place in Mindanao. The AFP has been accused of violating human rights but the Palace and the AFP have both denied such charges and no cases have been brought against any soldiers or PNP officers.
He also says an "overly aggressive law enforcement approach" will lead to more terrorism but last week the PNP said they had been lax in their efforts since day one.
“Obviously there were gaps in the security measures or systems that was in place, especially right after the declaration of martial law, and especially right after the first bombing last August 28,” Durana said in a press briefing.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1027630/pnp-admits-gaps-in-securing-sultan-kudarat-after-first-bombing
Gaps in security measures indicate that there has been no "overly aggressive law enforcement approach" in Mindanao. If security measures in Sultan Kudarat were lax then undoubtedly other areas continue to be full of gaps as well.
Saeed's suggestion that the "more appropriate approach" is to inform communities that they must deny terrorists safe haven is a little naive seeing as the Muslims in Mindanao are for the most part united against the Philippine government. Remember the citizens of Marawi told Dureza that they knew about the Maute group but said nothing because they thought as Muslims they would be spared.
"When martial law... Marawi because many people were shocked, people from Marawi, even the Moro people. They never thought that they themselves wold become victims of violent extremists. They knew that many are members of their own clan. They know them. They knew that they were moving firearms for a long time, they had been stockpiling up firearms. But when I asked the evacuees "Bakit di nyo sinabi yan?" (Why didn't you tell us?) "Sir, akala namin, kapwa Muslim hindi kami bibiktimahin" (We thought they would spare us because we are also Muslims).”
https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2018/05/intelligence-failures-and-prior.html
So what is the better approach? Kill em all? The Philippines will have plenty of help from the US military in that respect.
The United States will continue to support the Philippine military’s anti-terror operations, especially after the bombing in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, that killed three people and hurt 37 others.
“At the request of the government of the Philippines, US special operations forces continue to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Mindanao through support that increases intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities,” said Molly Koscina, US Embassy spokesperson.
Koscina did not specify what support the Philippines could expect, but during the five-month siege of Marawi last year, Filipino troops apparently received drone and satellite intelligence from the United States.
There will certainly not be US boots on the ground. The AFP will continue to fight using its own soldiers but with intelligence gathering help and weapons from the US military.
US grants funded the delivery of military equipment to the AFP, which included the raven tactical unmanned aerial vehicle system worth P60 million ($1.2 million) which was turned over to the Philippines in January 2017 and was first tested by the AFP during the Balikatan, then used in Marawi; 200 Glock pistols, 300 M4 carbines, 100 grenade launchers, individual operator gear and four mini-guns to be mounted in helicopters, totaling P250 million ($5 million) in May 2017; 25 combat rubber raiding craft and 30 outboard motors also in May 2017 and worth P250 million ($5 million) to support the Philippine Marine Corps.’ counterterror efforts; and two C-208 Cessna aircraft intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms worth P1.6 billion ($33 million), including the cost of extra equipment and training, for the Philippine Air Force, among other initiatives.
That is a lot of equipment! But is all of it new? How much is refurbished? Duterte has made it clear he does not want refurbished weapons and equipment. He wants brand new still wrapped in plastic never before used weapons and equipment. That must be why he has now pledged to buy weapons only from Israel.
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“My orders to my military is that in terms of military equipment particularly intelligence gathering, we only have one country to buy it from. That is my order, specifically, Israel,” he told Rivlin in a meeting here.
The Philippines has long relied on the United States for military weapons and hardware.
“America is a good friend but you know, if he would sell you something, he would also be listening,” Duterte said.
“And so with China and everybody else, Germany. So you can be very sure that they are also amply connected with you,” he also said.
He said he saw no reason for Israel to spy the Philippines even if the country buys weapons from the Jewish State.
“And so Israel I do not see any reason that you would – there would be a problem in our relationship. We are too far away. We do not belong to the sphere of geopolitics here. But we side on what is morally right,” he noted.
The President thanked Israel for helping the Philippines fight Islamic terrorist during the five-month Marawi City siege in 2017.
“You have extended us critical assistance during the Marawi siege against the extremists. And the equipment that you lent us helped us a lot to win the war and shortened the period of fighting,” he said.
Duterte does not mention what critical assistance was received from Israel during the Marawi siege but he did exaggerate the amount of assistance received from China so he is probably trying to get in the good graces of the Jews so they will give him what he wants. As far as spying goes he had better think again. Israeli intelligence services are very aggressive in their espionage exploits.
Not only does Mossad spy heavily on the US, which is Israel's biggest ally, the nation of Israel is also growing close to China.
But all is not as it seems.
"Today, the Shin Bet is facing more significant challenges," says a former division commander. These challenges are called China and Russia. In recent years, these world powers countries have been trying to attack Israel in a variety of ways, in a manner similar to those carried out against other Western countries.
If Russia and China, Duterte's new best friends, are spying on Israel then it's a sure bet that Mossad and Shin Bet are engaged in counter espionage and will want to know much more about the Philippines' burgeoning relations with Russia and China.
Whoever supplies the weapons the AFP will continue to need them to fight the Islamic and communist terrorists.
The violence is endless. Will it ever stop? Will the BOL finally save the day once it has been ratified in a plebiscite?
5. Making peace and keeping the peace. The first true test of a successful implementation of a peace agreement is not just in making peace but more importantly in keeping the peace. While we may have addressed the vertical conflict between us and the Philippine government, we can anticipate an increase in horizontal violence. As our guns fell silent with that of the government, it is important to recognize and address the issue of the proliferation of guns in the hands of civilians and other private armed groups. There can be no effective governance in an environment of guns.
6. Delivering the dividends of peace amidst high expectation. After a long and protracted war, many people in the region expect a sudden and dramatic change in their lives. We know of course that development and progress would take time but it is important to deliver quickly so that we can maintain a reasonable degree of hope and trust in our people as we gradually work on a more sustainable development for the region.
7. Developing the trust between us and the national government. The long conflict created a divide between us and the national government. We need to work on increasing the trust and cooperation between us since we can only move forward as partners and not as adversaries.
http://www.mindanews.com/mindaviews/2018/09/from-rebellion-to-governance-the-challenges-of-transition/
Not without a lot of work. A lot of work.
And now for something completely different.
Finally, the government has recognized Aga Khan Sharief for his role in saving hundreds of trapped civilians during the siege of Marawi City.
Spurned by President Duterte for negotiating with the Daesh-inspired Maute group, the exploits of Sharief was never made public until last Thursday.
“For his role in negotiating the release of hundreds of trapped civilians in Marawi City,” the plaque given to Sharief said.
President Duterte denounced Sharief last year when he negotiated with the leaders of Daesh-inspired gunmen who laid siege to Marawi City.
During the siege, Sharief made several trips inside the main battle area to meet with the rebel leaders to persuade them for a short and temporary ceasefire.
The late Maute brothers and Isnilon Hapilon granted the ceasefires and allowed a joint government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front team to go inside the embattled city to rescue trapped civilians.
“Sometimes I rode in a small motorcycle to meet Abdullah and Omar Maute. Luckily I was not shot by the military and the rebels,” Sharief narrated.
Col. Dickson Hermoso (retired), assistant secretary of the Office of the President on the Peace Process, narrated that as soon as the ceasefire took effect the team made it way inside the beleaguered city calling out for the trapped civilians to come out.
Hermoso said most volunteers went without any bulletproof vest to protect themselves, trusting that both Army soldiers and Maute gunmen would honor the ceasefire.
He said the volunteers found the trapped civilians who maintained phone connections and directions from relatives who reported where they were hiding.
“Once the agreed ceasefire ended, the fighting erupted again. Our teams barely got out of the conflict area,” Hermoso said.
He said the team rescued a total of 255 civilians and the “peace corridor” allowed the entry of trucks delivering foodstuff to other towns in Lanao del Sur.
Such unheralded acts of bravery are to be expected in any war zone. This is not the first time Sharief has played peacemaker.
Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, once the head of Lanao marine forces, said Sharief has connections with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a large rebel group waging a decades-old rebellion for self-rule, and has helped end some clashes between the insurgents and troops.
Aga Kahn Sharief is a well known figure in the area. He probably has connections with all the terrorist groups in Mindanao. That he was spurned by Duterte for his efforts to end the siege when he was in a position to provide such assistance is problematic and if ever an investigation into the Marawi siege is made should certainly be looked into.
Agakhan Sharief, a Marawi Muslim cleric well known to the militant Maute clan, said that around July 27, Abdullah Maute asked for help in arranging for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a separatist group at peace with the government, to receive hostages and escort militants out of the city.
"He agreed to negotiate to leave Marawi on the condition the MILF is involved," Sharief told Reuters.
"I told him when he goes out of Marawi, there's no guarantee the military will not kill him. He said, 'No problem'.
In early July, Sharief had already said he was approached by a senior Duterte aide to use his connections with the Maute militant group's leaders to start back-channel talks.
However, the process was halted when Duterte in a May 31 speech declared he "will not talk to terrorists".
It was not immediately clear what prompted Duterte's about-face. It came five days after another televised speech in which he told the militants "we can still solve this through dialogue", but if he could not convince them of that, "so be it. Let's just fight."
"The problem with our president, his mind is changing always," said Sharief, a cleric who has had roles in various peace agreements on the long-restive southern island of Mindanao. "He announced he will no longer talk to terrorists and that made our negotiations cut."
“No. I did not,” Duterte responded when asked about the report that he was, at one point, ready to make a deal with extremists to end the long-drawn conflict in the Islamic city.
A Reuters report on Wednesday said Agakhan Sharief, a prominent Muslim leader, was approached by a senior Duterte aide to use his connections with the Maute militant group's leaders to start back-channel talks.
Duterte, however, called Sharief a “pretender," adding he would never hold talks with terrorists.
“I would never talk to terrorists, but I’d talk to revolutionaries who are imbued with principles,” he told reporters in Bukidnon.
Sharief, known locally as "Bin Laden" due to his resemblance to the late al Qaeda leader, would not reveal the identity of Duterte's aide, whom he said was confidentially assigned to set up a meeting with the Maute clan to pursue possible negotiations.
A pretender? Now the man is getting an award for his bravery during the siege. If the reception of this plaque is true, there are no details regarding where it was given and by whom in the news article and Mindanews is the only outlet reporting on it, Sharief is vindicated and Duterte is proven to be a liar. The truth has finally come out just like I said it would in a martial law update dated July 11th, 2017.
Duterte probably was going through back channels to negotiate a cease fire with the Muslims in Marawi. Nothing wrong with that at all and why would he admit it? The standard course of governments is to deny, deny, deny until years later when the truth finally comes out.
https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2017/07/martial-law-with-coolest-president.html
The question remains though: Why did Duterte change his mind about negotiations and prefer to blow the city to bits?
