Yt Framework

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has blamed the Philippine Army (PA) for the death of a Moro civilian in a raid last April 28, 2012 in Naga Municipality, Zamboanga Sibugay Province.

A report posted on luwaran.com, the MILF's official website, disclosed that combined troops from the Army's 11th DRC and 18th Infantry Battalion killed the civilian in an early morning raid at Sitio Gangit in Barangay Mamagun.

The MILF report said the Army troops fired high powered guns to two houses owned by civilians identified as Babo Indak and Zenaida Indak as soon as they reached the area, which resulted to the death of Khalifa Abdulsalam.

Kahlifa is a civilian student of a Madarsah, Islamic school, according to the report.

Based on the military information as reported by luwaran.com, the army troops were conducting patrol that early morning and were fired upon by armed men which prompted them to return fire. A brief gun battle ensued.

It was learned from luwaran that the owner of the raided house, who is the mother of Khalifa, belied the military information, saying “the military just fired at our house and then went to our house, kicked and destroyed the door and opened fire again against civilians.”

The luwaran.com also quoted the raided house owner as saying, “The military were not fired upon and there was no exchange of fire.”

Families of the victim asked the government and MILF ceasefire committee and the Civilian Protection and International Humanitarian Laws and Human Rights Experts to conduct investigation on this raid and atrocities committed by government forces against innocent civilians.