AJLPP-USA Protests AFP Operations Despite Ramadan in Sulu, Mindanao

Los Angeles – The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace (AJLPP) –USA and its allied organizations vehemently protests and condemns the Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon’s announcement Monday that military offensives against suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines will continue throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan

The AJLPP also denounces Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s who is a retired General’s provocative statements that the “ government has the AFP and is ready to meet the MILF challenges in the field.”

Ermita and Esperon’s announcement for the AJLPP are “ signs of the arrogance, insensitivity and callousness. Ramadan is a season for peace and meditation for our fellow Muslims and yet they chose to ignore it. “

Esperon’s statement: “"It (offensive) will continue. You know terrorism doesn't respect any religion so we can't say that they will not terrorize while we celebrate Ramadan," is really very insulting as well as threatening and it does not build trust among religions.

His statement: “but the troops have orders to refrain from using artillery fire "as much as possible" during Ramadan” does not sit well to a lot of religious people and advocacy groups who requested the AFP to stop the military operations during the Ramadan.

The AJLPP also scored the fact, as if adding insult to injury, Esperon also announced that another company of Scout Rangers, or around 100 troops, were dispatched to the province of Sulu on Sunday to augment the 6,000 troops already in the area, Esperon told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

Since then, 16 soldiers have been killed and 82 others wounded. On the militants’ side, 13 have been killed, seven wounded and 10 captured, the AFP reports said. More than 12,000 civilians had been affected by the operations.

The AFP lately has reorganized its forces in Mindanao, breaking its large Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) into two unified command; the Eastern Mindanao Command that will handle the NPA threat and the West Mindanao Command that is supposed to handle the MILF, the MNLF and other Muslim armed threats.

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