Islamic militant arrested
A Muslim separatist rebel wanted for arson and bombings has been
arrested in the southern Philippines, police said Saturday.
Smawtin Basilan, who is a member of the separatist Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) and who had a 12,000-dollar bounty on his head,
was arrested at his home in Midsayap town Wednesday, police said.
Basilan is believed to be a top lieutenant of MILF commander Ameril
Umbrakato, one of two MILF leaders wanted for large-scale attacks on
several mostly Christian towns and provinces in the south in August last
year.
The attacks led to the deaths of over 300 people and the displacement
of over 750,000 in what international aid agencies have described as a
worrying humanitarian crisis.
While many have already returned to their homes, thousands still
remain in squalid evacuation shelters and are routinely subjected to
abuses by both soldiers and the MILF, rights monitors have said.“We have
information that he is the right hand of Umbrakato, but we are still
verifying it,” provincial governor Jesus Sacdalan said.
The arrest came as both sides were working to revive peace talks
aimed at ending the MILF’s 31-year-old insurgency.
-AFP
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