BY VICTOR REYES

THE Armed Forces yesterday bared fresh plans by rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to stage attacks against civilian and military targets in Central Mindanao.

But there was no specific information on whether the attacks were to be launched during the Muslims’ holy month of Ramadan, which starts today, said Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, chief of the AFP public affairs office.

The AFP said the attacks would likely be mounted by the MILF groups under commanders Umbra Kato and Bravo, head of the MILF’s 105th and 102nd Base Commands.

The two commanders are being pursued by the military for the attacks in North Cotabato last month and in Iligan City and four Lanao del Norte towns on August 17.

Torres said the plan to launch new attacks only shows that the groups of Umbra Kato and Bravo are not going to observe Ramadan.

"The groups of Bravo and Kato have done un-Islamic acts and what they have done have been condemned by many sectors. We don’t expect them to be religiously observing their practices during the holy month of Ramadan," said Torres.

Torres said the military would not halt its offensive against the recalcitrant MILF rebels during Ramadan but said the military leadership has issued directives for commanders to make "tactical adjustments" to allow the Muslims observe their holy month.

He would not elaborate on the adjustments.

Asked if this means no air strikes during Ramadan, Torres said: "That’s the call of the (military) commanders. Situations vary. There are a lot of things happening."

No fighting has been reported since Friday when government forces seized a rebel satellite camp in Maguindanao where the pursuit operations have been concentrated for the past days.

Torres said the groups of Bravo and Umbra Kato have splintered into smaller groups because they are running low on ammunition and that "they cannot face the troops head on."

Torres said it is more difficult to pursue smaller groups. "If they splinter into smaller groups, we have to strengthen our information gathering to pinpoint their location."

ENTIRE MILF

The MILF, in its website, said it suspects the offensive to be targeting the whole MILF. It said the military operations are supposed to be limited only against the Umbra Kato’s 105th Base Command and Bravo’s 102nd Base Command but the 104th and 107th base commands, "MILF Central Committee Task Force Ittihad based in Maguindanao and Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Elements of the government-MILF Ceasefire Committee had been strongly pounded by the indiscriminate offensives of the government."

The MILF said that for the past two days, government forces have been attacking the MILF in some barangays Talitay, Talayan and Guindulungan towns in Maguindanao.

Torres belied this.

COOLING OFF

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the protagonists in the Mindanao conflict should take advantage of the Ramadan to act with reason, justice and compassion in looking for lasting solutions to the problem.

"Without prejudice to better tactics, perhaps (AFP chief of staff Gen. (Alexander) Yano could use the Ramadan to help restore law and order. Maybe this holy season will help cool off hotheads and let reason prevail," he said.

He said while the fiasco over the botched memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain has sparked anger and frustration on the part of the MILF, it cannot serve as a ground for waging war and sowing terror on peaceful and defenseless civilian communities.

"Questions of constitutionality and rationality that have hounded the agreement on ancestral domain do not spell the end the peace process. For if there are those who had called attention to the infirmities in the agreement, it is not because they are against the peace talks. They only wanted to make sure that any peace accord would pass the test of credibility and legitimacy," he said.

AID PROGRAMS

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the government would not allow lawless MILF members to use the Ramadan period to evade authorities.

He reiterated his call for the MILF leadership to either surrender the two commanders or stand aside and allow government authorities to arrest the two.

Dureza also said the government and the private sector would also continue with its relief assistance program to the residents displaced by attacks.

Dureza, who is in General Santos City, said he would meet representatives involved in the peace and development programs in Mindanao like the United Nations Development Program.

He said the peace building and relief assistance projects fall under the Act for Peace Program to Act for Conflict Transformation program.