ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – At least 17,000 villagers have been displaced in the encounters between government troops and Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan for the past three weeks.
In a statement, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said 3,400 families in Tipo-Tipo, Al-Barka and Ungkaya Pukan towns have been affected.
Yann Fridez, head of the ICRC sub-delegation in Mindanao, said the situation in Basilan is “unwarranted.”
“We are concerned for the civilians as we expect clashes to continue in the coming weeks,” Fridez said.
“We ask them to spare civilian structures, such as hospitals, schools and houses,” he added.
Basilan Gov. Jim Hataman-Saliman said the military offensive should continue until the bandits are neutralized.
He said he wanted to finish off radical extremists in the province “and I don’t care where they come from.”