International monitoring team to start probe on Basilan clash

MANILA, Philippines - The International Monitoring Team (IMT) is expected to start this week its investigation into the killing of 19 soldiers in a clash with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Al-Barka, Basilan last Oct. 18.

As this developed, the military yesterday expressed hope that justice will be served for the fallen soldiers.

The Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) expects the probe will reveal who were on the side of MILF commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi during the encounter.

“What we want is justice for our fallen soldiers. Hopefully, the probe can identify all those under Dan Laksaw Asnawi, who participated in the Basilan clash,” WESMINCOM spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said in a text message to The STAR.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said the IMT investigation could help “ferret out truth.”

“We have high hopes that they would be able to gather all the facts and correspondingly make the appropriate recommendations to the ceasefire committee through the peace mechanisms,” he told The STAR.

The government and MILF panels, in an informal meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week, agreed to look into the Basilan clash that left 19 soldiers and six Muslim rebels dead.

The inquiry would be conducted by the IMT in coordination with the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

IMT representatives from Malaysia, Libya, Brunei, Norway, Japan and the European Union will conduct the probe.