Philippine Farmers Caught in Battles
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
TALIPAO, Philippines (AP) -
Coconut farmer Ullah Saddaramil was watching military planes bombard rebel camps in the
mountains of southern Jolo island when soldiers chasing a suspected rebel accidentally
shot him, his wife and two neighbors.
Only Saddaramil survived the
attack in Talipao, witnesses said.
``We got caught in the
fighting,'' Saddaramil said from his hospital bed, the back of his head swollen from a
bullet wound and his eyes welling with tears.
Despite attempts by the
military to play down the costs to civilians of a massive assault aiming to free 19
hostages held by Muslim guerrillas, witness accounts indicate many villagers have been
caught in the cross fire.
Anni Mohamad was playing in
front of his house when a Philippine air force plane dropped three bombs nearby, showering
this tiny coastal village with shrapnel and debris.
Shrapnel pierced the
11-year-old boy's hip, and he collapsed to the ground. Three of his playmates also were
injured.
The fighting has forced 14,000
people to flee their homes, overcrowding evacuation centers, says the military, which has
tightly controlled information. But military officials insist only two civilians have been
killed.
Nelsa Amin, a provincial health
official, said villagers have been afraid to report deaths caused by the attack.
``They refuse to provide names
or details,'' she said. ``We are expecting more casualties but we cannot enter some areas.
We need military permission.''
Thousands of government troops
launched the rescue attempt Sept. 16 on Jolo, an impoverished island at the country's
southern tip.
Two French journalists escaped
last week while their captors fled the assault. An American, three Malaysians and 13
Filipinos are still believed to be held.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels say they
are fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, but the government
regards them as bandits.
Since March, the rebels have
seized scores of hostages, including 21 tourists and workers taken from a Malaysian resort
on April 23. Most have been released, with Libya and Malaysia reportedly paying more than
$15 million to free 19 foreigners.
Thousands of troops backed by
attack helicopters closed in Sunday on rebels fleeing with the American hostage in the
hills of Jolo, officials said. The Abu Sayyaf rebels holding Jeffrey Schilling, 24, of
Oakland, Calif., were attempting to reach a beach to escape from the island, Vice Governor
Munib Estino said.
The government halted talks
with the rebels and attacked after the guerrillas kidnapped more people despite a promise
to halt abductions while negotiations were under way.
Many of the rebels, whose
hide-outs were located mostly in the areas of Talipao and Patikul, fled shortly before the
assault began. Villagers living near rebel areas had little warning.
In Ipil, about 100 residents
gathered in a village hall for protection from the assault. Instead, a plane dropped three
bombs that exploded in the sea nearby, sending the villagers fleeing, local officials
said.
Ipil is now a ghost village,
with many of its houses and stores looted and most of its residents in evacuation centers,
said Ida Mohamad, a 30-year-old mother of six.
The hardships have been
compounded by the military's decision to cut most communications and transportation links
with the island in an effort to contain the fleeing guerrillas.
The military also has attempted
to bar journalists from traveling to Jolo.
As a result, Jolo residents
have been virtually cut off from the rest of the world. Local officials later pressured
the military to allow telephone calls from public calling stations and provide
transportation for civilians aboard military ships and planes.
``This is practically an
undeclared martial law,'' said Alsad Alfad Jr., director of the island's Office of Muslim
Affairs.
On Saturday, the military
allowed local officials to deliver rice, food and medicine to evacuation centers in
Talipao, one of the hardest-hit areas. At least two villages in Talipao were entirely
razed by fire during the attack, police said.
At a grade school
compound-turned-emergency shelter in Talipao's Bilaan village, 15-year-old Nurain Isin
guarded five siblings sitting on a mat dampened by a drizzle. A rice sack and a sheet of
tin propped up by branches served as a roof.
``It's very difficult,'' Nurain
said.
Around her shelter, flies
swarmed on trash, leftover food and piles of unwashed plastic plates and pots and pans
blackened by wood fires. A baby beside her fidgeted, irritated by the flies.
Near the school, hundreds of
heavily armed marines and soldiers stood guard and patrolled. Muddied armored personnel
carriers rumbled along a nearby road.
Despite the hardships, many
Jolo residents support the assault against the rebels who have harassed the island for
years, but hope the violence will end soon so they can resume their normal lives.
``If we're successful we could
end the violence in our land once and for all,'' said Asani Tammang, a congressman from
Jolo. ``When there is peace, we can start to rebuild.''
Back to Sipadan/Pandanan Hostages News
Back
to This Week's Borneo News |
