ROGUE MNLF COMMANDER ON THE RUN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 001187 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/17/2017 TAGS: PREL PTER MOPS KISL RP SUBJECT: ROGUE MNLF COMMANDER ON THE RUN REF: MANILA 407 Classified By: CDA Paul W. Jones for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) raided and occupied several rogue Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) camps on Jolo Island on April 15 after a rogue MNLF commander launched mortar attacks and ground assaults that killed two Marines and one civilian. MNLF Commander Habier Malik -- a staunch supporter of detained MNLF Chairman and current Sulu gubernatorial candidate Nur Misuari, who remains an enigma -- is now on the run, as sporadic and localized fighting continues between his followers and government security forces. All U.S. Special Operations Task Force personnel are safe. Charge spoke with Presidential Peace Advisor Secretary Dureza at the height of the fighting on April 14; Dureza believed the fighting would be contained despite calls by Malik for all Muslims to join "jihad" against the government. This latest incident has further isolated Malik from other MNLF leaders and followers, who mostly desire peace, security, and development on Jolo. The neutralization of Malik's forces should help the AFP go after near-by elements of the Abu Sayyaf Group more effectively. End Summary. -------------- Mortar Attacks Trigger Fighting -------------- ¶2. (C) On April 13-14, elements of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under local commander Habier Malik fired mortars and launched ground assaults against several Philippine military detachments, leaving at least two soldiers and one civilian dead as well as eleven others injured. Some of the mortar shells apparently landed in civilian areas near the Panamao High School and municipal hall, where the U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) and USAID have undertaken numerous humanitarian projects. All JSOTF personnel on Jolo are safe and accounted for. Embassy and JSOTF personnel were in close contact throughout the fighting over the weekend. ¶3. (C) In retaliation, AFP troops overran two MNLF camps, including Camp Jabal Uhod, forcing MNLF Commander Malik to flee. Malik currently remains on the run while sporadic fighting continues between his followers and government security forces. ¶4. (C) Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza privately expressed cautious optimism to Charge that the fighting would remain localized. He believed Malik was motivated by the killing of two rogue MNLF members during a recent AFP operation against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). -------------- Malik Isolated -------------- ¶5. (C) According to MNLF Attorney Ombra Jainal, tensions between MNLF Commander Malik and the AFP had been building since February when Malik held National Capital Region Commander Ben Mohammad Dolorfino and several other government officials hostage for two days (reftel). Jainal underscored that most MNLF commanders had not supported Malik's hostage-taking to secure a commitment for tri-partite talks on the 1996 GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement. ¶6. (C) AFP contacts explained further to JSOTF-P personnel that tensions had escalated sharply further when, beginning on April 10, the AFP began evacuation operations of MNLF personnel from Marang, Indanan in preparation for a planned operation to capture near-by ASG leaders Radullon Sahiron, Yasser Igasan, Dr. Abu, and Albader Parad. Despite cooperation from most senior MNLF leaders, some local MNLF sub-commanders chose to remain in the area, apparently protecting a group of approximately 60 ASG members. By April 12, Malik apparently ordered his troops to prepare to fight the AFP, contrary to the MNLF/AFP concurrence on this operation. MNLF Deputy Chief of Staff Almujahid Biao reportedly met with Malik on the evening of April 12 to urge compliance with the MNLF leadership's decision to work with the AFP, but Malik refused and continued to mass ground forces (including both troops and civilian supporters) in the Talipao area. Malik positioned his followers near Sapa Malaum, Tayungan to blockade or possibly ambush AFP forces, leading to the mortar attacks and small arms fire on April 13-14. Even during these attacks in Talipao and Panamao, the AFP continued to coordinate with mainstream MNLF leaders and conducted successful defensive operations, minimizing MANILA 00001187 002 OF 002 collateral damage. ¶7. (C) Malik reportedly has called for assistance from other MNLF fighters throughout the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, but so far with limited or no success, according to other MNLF commanders and leaders. Some MNLF commanders on Jolo have raised white flags over their camps. According to AFP Task Force Comet Commander Maj-Gen Ruben Rafael, at least 10 MNLF commanders have refused to cooperate with Malik and are continuing to assist the government and AFP in operations against criminal and terrorist elements. -------------- Comment: -------------- ¶8. (C) Malik has been a bad seed among the MNLF for some time. His latest actions seem to confirm repeated allegations and AFP suspicions that he has been harboring or protecting ASG and other terrorist elements on Jolo, while passively or actively obstructing AFP operations against them. His flight and further isolation -- or possible capture -- could provide a real boon to AFP effectiveness in its ongoing offensive on Jolo against terrorists. Meanwhile, the reaction of the MNLF leadership and other MNLF commanders has been welcome, as they seem to be turning their backs on Malik, reflecting the desire of the local residents for peace, security, and development on Jolo. Nur Misuari, in his detention in Manila despite his ongoing campaign for Sulu governor, remains an enigma. He has not publicly spoken on these events. While Malik has been one of his most vocal supporters, it would not appear that Malik's actions would help Nur Misuari in his candidacy for governor, and would likely instead alienate the voters who support the peace process and who have worked well with the AFP as well as JSOTF-P and USAID to return life on Jolo to as close to normalcy as they have enjoyed in decades. Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/ JONES