June 7, 1994, Seattle Times News Services, Muslim rebels attack convoy, kill 16 Filipino hostages, Diigo,
January 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Pakistani nabbed with explosives, by Bert Ignacio and Arnold Atadero,
March 22, 1995, New York Times, Pakistan Asks for U.S. Help in Crackdown on Militants, by John F. Burns, Diigo,
April 4, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippine Rebels Burn, Plunder City, Diigo,
April 4, 1995, Manila Standard, page 6, No bail for terrorists, by Arlie Calalo, with AP,
April 4, 1995, Examiner News Services [San Francisco] Muslim rebels bloody Philippine town,
April 5, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, 100 killed as bandits torch Zambo town; 5 banks robbed in daring noontime raid, Diigo,
April 5, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Bandits torch Zambo town; 100 killed,
April 5, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, Benazir Bhutto to woo US investors,
April 5, 1995, Chronicle News Services [San Francisco] Philippine Town Attacked, Burned By Islamic Rebels / At least 100 die in bloodbath on troubled southern island,
April 5, 1995, New York Times, Muslim Rebels Kill Scores In Philippines, by Philip Shenon,
April 5, 1995, New Paper [Malaysia] Reuter, page 21, 'It Was Like Hell,' Some 200 heavily armed Muslim rebels attacked Ipil town on Mindanao island, [Page View] Diigo,
April 5, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Rebels Kill 100 in Philippines Siege / Military Blames Heavily-Armed Muslim Group, by Romy Tangbawan, Diigo,
April 5, 1995, The Columbian / AP, Town Reels From Attack, by Romy Tangbawan, 609 words,
April 5, 1995, The Washington Post, Guerrillas Attack Philippine City, 336 words,
April 5, 1995,The Independent (London) Muslim rampage kills Christians, 185 words
April 5, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Rebels Kill 100 in Philippines Siege; Military Blames Heavily-Armed Muslim Group,
April 5, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, 100 killed as bandits torch Zambo town; 5 banks robbed in daring noontime raid, Diigo,
April 5, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Bandits torch Zambo town; 100 killed,
April 5, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, Benazir Bhutto to woo US investors,
April 5, 1995, Chronicle News Services [San Francisco] Philippine Town Attacked, Burned By Islamic Rebels / At least 100 die in bloodbath on troubled southern island,
April 5, 1995, New York Times, Muslim Rebels Kill Scores In Philippines, by Philip Shenon,
April 5, 1995, New Paper [Malaysia] Reuter, page 21, 'It Was Like Hell,' Some 200 heavily armed Muslim rebels attacked Ipil town on Mindanao island, [Page View] Diigo,
April 5, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Rebels Kill 100 in Philippines Siege / Military Blames Heavily-Armed Muslim Group, by Romy Tangbawan, Diigo,
April 5, 1995, The Columbian / AP, Town Reels From Attack, by Romy Tangbawan, 609 words,
April 5, 1995, The Washington Post, Guerrillas Attack Philippine City, 336 words,
April 5, 1995,The Independent (London) Muslim rampage kills Christians, 185 words
April 5, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Rebels Kill 100 in Philippines Siege; Military Blames Heavily-Armed Muslim Group,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, 'Shoot to kill'; Troops scour bandits lairs; Aid rushed to devastated town, Diigo,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Progressive town reduced to rubble, Diigo,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard / AP, Reuter, page 3, Troops on search-and-destroy mission,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Raiders Sayyaf, MILF forces, by Roberto G. Burgos,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Bad day for a haircut, by Ruben Alabastro,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard, page 7, Zamboanga raid draws zingers,
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Editorial, Tragedy at Ipil,
April 6, 1995, New Paper [Malaysia] Reuter, page 25, More rebel attacks expected: Mindanao Massacre, Diigo,
April 6, 1995, The Washington Post, Philippine Officials Warn Of More Attacks by Rebels,
April 6, 1995, New Paper [Malaysia] Reuter, page 25, More rebel attacks expected: Mindanao Massacre, Diigo,
April 6, 1995, Associated Press / The Columbian (Vancouver, WA), Bandits of Terrorists?, 700+ words,
April 6, 1995, New Paper [Malaysia] Page 25, More rebel attacks expected, [Page View]
April 6, 1995, The Business Times [Malaysia] Page 20, Ramos blames extremist rebel group for Ipil massacre, [Page View]
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, Troops battle raiders; Hostages used as human shields, Diigo,
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Senate probes Ipil carnage, by Marichu Villanueva,
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Raiders use hostages as human shields,
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ramos sacks Southcom chief, by Fel V. Maragay,
April 7, 1995, Associated Press / Manila Standard, page 3, "Abu Sayyaf: Bandits or global terrorists?", by Robert H. Reid,
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 6, Nikki: What intelligence?
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Editorial, Fanciful speculations,
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 9, Opinion, Lessons from the raid on Ipil, by Amante E. Bigornia,
April 7, 1995, Manila Standard, page 11, Opinion, Dead tired, by Jessica Soho,
April 7, 1995, AP / The Independent (London,) Commandos trap Muslim killers,
April 7, 1995, New York Times, World News Briefs; Filipino Troops Corner Rebels After Attack,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, 5 hostages killed in Zambo offensive,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Editorial, Continuity,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 10, Globalizing terror, by Alex Magno,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 11, The opposition gloats over Ipil tragedy,
April 8, 1995, The Business Times, Page 3, Philippine army in running battles with Muslim gunmen, Diigo,
April 8, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Philippine Fighting Leaves 17 Dead // 5 Hostages Die As Troops Battle,
April 8, 1995, New York Times, Another Plot Is Laid to Bombing Suspect, by Philip Shenon,
April 8, 1995, The Business Times [Malaysia] Page 3, Philippine army in running battles with Muslim gunmen, [Page View] Diigo,
April 8, 1995, Orlando Sentinel, Filipino Troops Chasing Muslim Gunmen In Hills,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 6, 'Crucifixion': Penitence that persists in Bulacan, Carmela B. Reyes,
April 8, 1995,The Independent (London,) Philippines rebels take to the hills, 228 words
April 8, 1995, Albany Times Union, Another Plot Tied to Bombing Suspect,
April 8, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Philippine Fighting Leaves 17 Dead; 5 Hostages Die As Troops Battle Muslim Rebels, by Ruben Alabastro,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Zambo folk demand arms, by Romy Tangbawan,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, 5 hostages killed in Zambo offensive,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Editorial, Continuity,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 10, Globalizing terror, by Alex Magno,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 11, The opposition gloats over Ipil tragedy,
April 8, 1995, The Business Times, Page 3, Philippine army in running battles with Muslim gunmen, Diigo,
April 8, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Philippine Fighting Leaves 17 Dead // 5 Hostages Die As Troops Battle,
April 8, 1995, New York Times, Another Plot Is Laid to Bombing Suspect, by Philip Shenon,
April 8, 1995, The Business Times [Malaysia] Page 3, Philippine army in running battles with Muslim gunmen, [Page View] Diigo,
April 8, 1995, Orlando Sentinel, Filipino Troops Chasing Muslim Gunmen In Hills,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 6, 'Crucifixion': Penitence that persists in Bulacan, Carmela B. Reyes,
April 8, 1995,The Independent (London,) Philippines rebels take to the hills, 228 words
April 8, 1995, Albany Times Union, Another Plot Tied to Bombing Suspect,
April 8, 1995, Chicago Sun-Times, Philippine Fighting Leaves 17 Dead; 5 Hostages Die As Troops Battle Muslim Rebels, by Ruben Alabastro,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Zambo folk demand arms, by Romy Tangbawan,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 7, Laurel: Aid Ipil victims,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Editorial, A demand for arms,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 17, Judges want trial held at Camp Crame, by Arlie Calado
April 9, 1995, The Buffalo News, Filipinos Plead for Help as Muslims Attack Town,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, MNLF linked to Ipil massacre?
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, MNLF link to Ipil massacre eyed,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, People cower in fear,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, No arms for Ipil townsfolk,
April 10, 1995, Orlando Sentinel, Philippine Military Says 19 Muslim Extremists Dead,
April 10, 1995, The Straits Times, p.16, Filipinos fear mounting Muslim terrorism,
April 10, 1995, The Straits Times, p.17, KL to rebut Time charge that country was training ground for terrorist,
April 10, 1995, The Columbian (Vancouver), Military Claims to Have Rebels Surrounded,,700+ words,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, Ramos fires envoy, suspends 9 others,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, Manila on alert for terrorist attacks,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Pakistani linked to Sayyaf pope-slay plot airs side,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Plot to assassinate Misuari bared
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Troops pin down Sayyaf rebels,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 9, Ipil burning, by Jerry Barican,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 10, Playing to the lynching mob, by Alex Magno,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, Manila om alert for terrorist attacks, by Bert Ignacio,April 11, 1995, The Columbian / AP, Villagers Flee Mountains in Philippines,
April 11, 1995, Jerusalem Post / AP, Radical Filipino group linked to Mideast,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, Ipil drive pressed; residents flee homes,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, MNLF group owns Ipil carnage,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, 3 Cops in extortion case face dismissal,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, NPDC busts carnap, extortion ring,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, Ipil drive pressed; residents flee homes, Diigo,
April 12, 1995, AP / The Columbian (Vancouver, WA) Raid Aimed to End Talks,
April 12, 1995 The Columbian / AP, Raid Aimed to End Talks,
April 12, 1995, The Business Times [Reprint, Jakarta Post] Page 12, A signal for Ramos, [Page View]
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, MNLF ceasefire review eyed, by Fel V. Maragay,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Exodus from Zambo Sur continues, by Rudy Saavedra,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Editorial, A demand for arms,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 17, Judges want trial held at Camp Crame, by Arlie Calado
April 9, 1995, The Buffalo News, Filipinos Plead for Help as Muslims Attack Town,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, MNLF linked to Ipil massacre?
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, MNLF link to Ipil massacre eyed,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, People cower in fear,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, No arms for Ipil townsfolk,
April 10, 1995, Orlando Sentinel, Philippine Military Says 19 Muslim Extremists Dead,
April 10, 1995, The Straits Times, p.16, Filipinos fear mounting Muslim terrorism,
April 10, 1995, The Straits Times, p.17, KL to rebut Time charge that country was training ground for terrorist,
April 10, 1995, The Columbian (Vancouver), Military Claims to Have Rebels Surrounded,,700+ words,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, Ramos fires envoy, suspends 9 others,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, Manila on alert for terrorist attacks,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Pakistani linked to Sayyaf pope-slay plot airs side,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Plot to assassinate Misuari bared
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Troops pin down Sayyaf rebels,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 9, Ipil burning, by Jerry Barican,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 10, Playing to the lynching mob, by Alex Magno,
April 11, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, Manila om alert for terrorist attacks, by Bert Ignacio,April 11, 1995, The Columbian / AP, Villagers Flee Mountains in Philippines,
April 11, 1995, Jerusalem Post / AP, Radical Filipino group linked to Mideast,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, Ipil drive pressed; residents flee homes,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, MNLF group owns Ipil carnage,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, 3 Cops in extortion case face dismissal,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 18, NPDC busts carnap, extortion ring,
April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, Ipil drive pressed; residents flee homes, Diigo,
April 12, 1995, AP / The Columbian (Vancouver, WA) Raid Aimed to End Talks,
April 12, 1995 The Columbian / AP, Raid Aimed to End Talks,
April 12, 1995, The Business Times [Reprint, Jakarta Post] Page 12, A signal for Ramos, [Page View]
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, MNLF ceasefire review eyed, by Fel V. Maragay,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Exodus from Zambo Sur continues, by Rudy Saavedra,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, No need for rewards, says Ramos,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, No need for rewards, says Ramos,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf leader sighted in Basilan,
April 14-16, 1995, Lenten Season, No Manila Issues.
April 14, 1995, The Columbian (Vancouver, WA), Charges Filed Against 19 in Raid on Town,
April 16, 1995, The Gadsden Times / Associated Press, Filipino police ordered to crush extremists, Diigo,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, Ipil attackers pinned down, AFP seals off escape routes,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, An Arab jailed in California key to extremists' network,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ipil attackers pinned down, by Rudy Saavedra and Romie Evangelista,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Alunan goes to Pakistan, by Fel V. Maragay,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, No need for rewards, says Ramos,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf leader sighted in Basilan,
April 14-16, 1995, Lenten Season, No Manila Issues.
April 14, 1995, The Columbian (Vancouver, WA), Charges Filed Against 19 in Raid on Town,
April 16, 1995, The Gadsden Times / Associated Press, Filipino police ordered to crush extremists, Diigo,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, Ipil attackers pinned down, AFP seals off escape routes,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, An Arab jailed in California key to extremists' network,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ipil attackers pinned down, by Rudy Saavedra and Romie Evangelista,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Alunan goes to Pakistan, by Fel V. Maragay,
April 17, 1995, page 8, More on Salonga's book, The Senate that Said No, memoirs of former Senate President Jocito Salonga, Review by Petrnila Bn. Daroy,
April 17, 1995, Time Magazine, Death in the Afternoon, by Anthony Speath, John Colmey, Nelly Sindayen, Diigo,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, 14 hostages hacked to death; Sayyaf men ignore pleas for mercy,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf men execute 14 hostages, by Rudy Saavedra, Diigo,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Afghanistan, not Pakistan - FVR, by Fel V. Maragay, Diigo,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Global pressure needed vs terrorists -- Mercado, by Marichu A. Villanueva,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Security Council meeting set, by Joem H. Macaspac,
April 18, 1995, DAWN, Manila seeks Islamabad's help against terrorism, by Anjum Niaz, Diigo,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Misuari confirms existence of MNLF breakaway faction, by Joe Macabalang,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Malacanang studying ceasefire suspension, by Joem Macaspac,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Mindanao Bosnia-in-making?, by Rudy Saavedra,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 7, Trial of terrorist suspects at Crame backed, by Arlie Valalo,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Opinion, Salonga's memoirs as a moral document, by Petronilo Bn Daroy,
April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Two more gunships sent to Zambo Sur, by Rudy Saavedra,
April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Stragglers kill 2 policemen,
April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Ipil no military job---Ramos, Diigo,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Most of Sayyaf men back in home bases, says AFP,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ramos urges global anti-terror drive,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, RP, Pakistan OK anti-terrorist action,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, NSC to take up Sayyaf arms sources,
April 27, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Saudi trader held in Calif. linked to Muslim extremists, Prudencio Europa,
May 2, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippines Secures Help From Mainstream Guerrillas, Diigo,
May 4, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Felina Speaks: Terror where least expected, by Felina Saguil
May 13, 1995, The Economist (US), Southern terror: Philippines (terrorists believed to be Muslim)
May 27, 1995, Los Angeles Times / Seattle Times News Services, Terrorist Plot Targeted 11 U.S. Airliners In Day -- Muslim Extremist Leader Had Developed Undetectable Nitro Bombs, Records Show, by Charles P. Wallace, Diigo,
May 31, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, 2 Muslim extremist leaders escape jail in the Philippines, Diigo,
June 4, 1995, The Filipino Express, FVR unveils Zamboanga economic plan, by Kathleen Dijamco,
June 22, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippine extremists free boy, 10, after four months, Diigo,
June 24, 1995, The Business Times [Malaysia] page 19, Muslim extremism in the Philippines, by Referico V. Magdelena, Diigo,
July 2, 1995, The Filipino Express, Moslem Leader Says, Failure of dialogue may mean war, Butch Franco,
July 9, 1995, The Filipino Express, Moslem-RP gov't talks bring fresh hopes for peace, by Carlito Pablo,
July 13, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Moslem bandits free 3 teachers, by Edmund M. Silvestre,
July 23, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Troops sent to Philippine island to quell uprising, Diigo,
August 3, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Misuari bats for Moslem autonomy, by Ruben Alabastro,
August 6, 1995, The Filipino Express, Moslem guerillas back Misuari, by Ruben Alabastro,
August 9, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Police Unearth Group's Plot To Raid 2 Philippine Towns, Diigo,
October 14, 1995, The Economist (US) With the rebels: Philippines. (the Moro Islamic Liberation Front)
November 9, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Misuari sees 'chaos' if peace talks fail, by Roberto C. Ordonez,
Diigo, November 11, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Gunmen Rob 300 People, Take 2 Hostages in Philippines,
December 5, 2008, Lazamboanga Times, Gen. Ramos: Hitting 2 Birds with 1 Stone in 1995 Burning and Looting of Ipil, by John L. Shinn III,
Diigo, December 29, 1995, Seattle Times News Services / AP, Kidnappers Threaten To Kill U.S. Captives
(Madhatta Asagal Haipe)
Diigo, April 4, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippine Rebels Burn, Plunder City,
Tuesday,
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines - About 200 heavily armed Muslim renegades ransacked a southern Philippine town today, robbing banks and stores and battling troops flown in to quell the insurgency. At least 100 people died in the fighting.
President Fidel Ramos ordered police and soldiers flown in by helicopter to "shoot to kill" the bandits, and he declared a state of emergency in Ipil, a town of 50,000 people about 480 miles south of Manila.
The gunmen arrived in boats and a bus, and some were waiting in position when the signal was given for them to raid four of the town's seven banks simultaneously at midday, according to radio reports and the military.
They also ransacked at least one department store and set many buildings on fire to confuse police and soldiers, said military spokesman Maj. Fredesvindo Covarrubias.
In addition to the 100 people killed, he said, 30 others were wounded as the attack turned Ipil into a virtual battlefield. Radio reports said that in late afternoon, thick smoke from burning buildings blanketed the town.
A local military commander said he sent armored personnel carriers after the bandits, who had holed up inside the compound of the public works office. After 30 minutes of heavy fighting, the bandits fled toward a nearby forest, said the commander, Col. Roberto Santiago.
It was not immediately known how many, if any, of the casualties were raiders.
Among those killed were the town police chief, the commander of the 10th Infantry Battalion stationed in Ipil and a local bank manager.
Covarrubias said the gunmen belonged to a breakaway Muslim rebel faction that has turned to banditry. Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan said a flag of the group, Abu Sayyaf, was recovered in Ipil.
Edwin Angeles, a former Abu Sayyaf officer who surrendered to authorities recently, said the attack was in retaliation for the arrest of six alleged Arab Muslim extremists in a Manila suburb last Saturday. The men, who allegedly had ties to the defendants in the World Trade Center bombing, are accused of plotting terrorist attacks.
"There are many more such attacks that will follow," Angeles told Manila television ABS-CBN.
__________________________________________________________________________
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 7, Trial of terrorist suspects at Crame backed, by Arlie Valalo,
The top brass of the Northern Police District Command (NPDC) yesterday supported the move of Kalookan City judges to try the illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges against the six suspected Arab terrorists inside Camp Crame for security reasons.
Col. Rex Piad, NPDC director, made the decision after intelligence reports disclosed that 19 members of the terrorist group to which the six suspects belong are still out hiding in the metropolis. [...]
Piad told the Standard it was too risky for police authorities to escort the six suspects from their Camp Crame detention cell to the Kalookan RTC building should the trial start.
Isam Mohammad Abdulahadi, 25, Jordanian; Nabil al-Riyami, 28, Omani; Ashram Alyazouri, 28, Jordanian; Mohammad Ismael Abu-Shendi, 28, Jordanian; Wail Rached El Kaatib, 26, Palestinian; and their alleged leader Heide Alghoul Yousef, 28, Jordanian.
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard / AP, Reuter, page 3, Troops on search-and-destroy mission,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 10, Globalizing terror, by Alex Magno,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 11, The opposition gloats over Ipil tragedy,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, Editorial, A demand for arms,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Zambo folk demand arms, by Romy Tangbawan,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, MNLF link to Ipil massacre eyed,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, People cower in fear,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, No arms for Ipil townsfolk,
Diigo, April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, Ipil drive pressed; residents flee homes,
MNLF group owns Ipil carnage,
A previously unheard of Muslim Guallatiri group on Tuesday claimed "full responsibility" for the savage massacre of 53 people in the southern Philippine town of Ipil last week.
The group, calling itself the Islamic Command Council of the mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), demanded the setting up of a separate Muslim state in the country's southern islands.
"The Islamic Command Council of the Moro National Liberation Front claims full responsibility for the seige of the Ipil town," it said in a statement faxed to Reuters.
It was the first time any group had admitted responsibility for the attack which President Ramos has blamed on the Abu Sayyaf fundamentalist group.
The statement, signed by one Banrilan Kudart who identified himself as being in charge of the "council on information," said the group was "now taking full charge of the command of the ... Muslim armed struggle" in the Philippines.
"What happened in Ipil and those that occurred unreported in other areas are no more, no less a categorical statement that there can be no peace without the independence of the Bangsamoro Muslim homeland," it said. (Reuters)
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, MNLF ceasefire review eyed, by Fel V. Maragay,
President Ramos agreed yesterday on the need to review and possibly modify the ceasefiere agreement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Moro National Liberation Front in view of AFP's assessment that it has impeded the military offensive against Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist elements in Mindanao.
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Exodus from Zambo Sur continues,
Some 100 Muslim families have fled their homes in Baliguian town, Zamboanga del Norte, for fear of reprisal attacks from armed Christian groups.
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, No need for rewards, says Ramos,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf leader sighted in Basilan,
Eight days after the pillage of Ipil town in Zamboangao del Sur, Abu Sayyaf leader Abdurajak Abubaker Janjalani, along with 60 of his armed followers, was sighted at a coastal village in Sumisip, Basilan.
Diigo, April 16, 1995, The Gadsden Times / AP, Filipino police ordered to crush extremists,
MANILA, Philippines -- President Fidel Ramos ordered police Saturday to intensify their campaign to crush Muslim extremists blamed for raiding a town and plotting to kill the pope and blow up U.S. airliners.
The order was issued against the shadowy Abu Sayyaf group, accused of the April 4 raid on the mostly Christian town of Ipil in which 53 people were killed. The military said Abu Sayyaf renegades were still holding 13 hostages. Police believe Abu Sayyaf has close ties to Ramzi Yousef, accused of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York, a plot last January to kill Pope John Paul II and a plot to blow up United Airlines jets.
Ramos said Abu Sayyaf has "strong connections with foreign terrorist groups" and police must crush them by "cutting their contacts" with those groups.
"The only way the international terrorists can be prevented from implementing their plan is for all nations to unite and cooperate through exchanges of information," Ramos said.
Diigo, April 17, 1995, Time Magazine, Death in the Afternoon, by Anthony Speath, John Colmey in Ipil and Nelly Sindayen in Manila,
Dressed in military fatigues and carrying rifles, the strangers began drifting into town the night of April 3 and continued arriving the next morning. Some came on buses, others in a truck. Residents of the isolated trading town of Ipil (pop. 52,000), 500 mi. south of Manila, noticed the newcomers. But soldiers are a common sight most places in the Philippines, particularly on the turbulent southern island of Mindanao, with its history of Muslim insurgency. "We thought they were real army," said Arturo Dimla, a local accounts clerk.
Until 12:30 p.m. the next day, that is, when one of the gunmen entered the Emil Emilios Restaurant and Bakeshop and shot dead a Philippine army major as he ate lunch. For the next 2 1/2 hours, the fake soldiers made Ipil a hell on earth. They gunned down men, women and children, plundered the town's seven banks and took money from shops. "They were killing people like they do this every day," said a survivor, Loyita de los Reyes. Rogelio Villafuerte, a public-works engineer, said, "They came to town ready to start a war." The 200 or so gunmen ended the carnage around 3 p.m., then sauntered out of town, taking along 13 hostages, including a group of women wearing uniforms from Gerry's department store. Left behind were 53 dead, 44 wounded and a white flag with the name of Abu Sayyaf (Bearer of the Sword), a Muslim separatist group known to have ties to terrorists.
Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan said the attack was staged in retaliation for the arrest of six alleged Muslim militants in Manila on April 1 for illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Another theory held that the assault was simply a terrorist fund raiser: the gunmen left town with sacks of cash totaling $1 million. Whatever the motivation, the incident was the latest evidence that despite decades of fighting and negotiating, the Philippines, with a mostly Christian population of 66 million, has still to solve the problem of separatism among its 6 million Muslims. Two days after the Ipil raid, President Fidel Ramos fired the leader of the army's southern command, Brigadier General Regino Lacson, as well as the commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, near Ipil. At week's end Ramos flew to the town to survey the damage. After meeting with town and military officials, he barked, "Go get those terrorists and protect our communities."
The government had been expecting Abu Sayyaf to make a move as early as two weeks ago. The five-year-old group, one of several demanding either autonomy or a separate Muslim state on Mindanao, has been linked to the Islamic fundamentalists charged with planning the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. The connections have been detailed in recent weeks by Edwin Angeles, once Abu Sayyaf's military strategist, who surrendered to Philippine authorities in February after a falling out with his fellow fighters. Angeles, backed by military intelligence, has linked Abu Sayyaf with Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the World Trade Center attack.
Ipil, a predominantly Catholic town, was the site of violence between Muslim insurgents and Christian vigilantes in 1972, the first battle of a 20-year Muslim insurrection on Mindanao that left more than 50,000 people dead. The ferocity of last week's attack surprised even followers of Abu Sayyaf. The group was previously thought to have only about 350 armed members, mostly on the smaller islands of Basilan and Jolo rather than Mindanao. After the Ipil slaughter, military-intelligence officers are convinced that Abu Sayyaf is receiving help from members of the country's two largest Muslim fighting groups, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which have a combined armed force of 15,000. The mnlf is engaged in peace negotiations with the Ramos government, talks that have so far yielded preliminary agreements between the two sides. Abu Sayyaf, which includes several grown children of Muslim separatists killed in the 1970s conflict, maintains that the peace talks betray the Muslim cause.
Few believe that Abu Sayyaf could have acted alone in unfamiliar territory, especially given the careful planning that preceded the assault. It began with a diversionary tactic at dawn Tuesday, when unidentified armed men attacked security guards at a gold mine 15 mi. outside the town. Colonel Roberto Santiago, the 102nd Brigade commander, sent his 40 best soldiers. At 12:30, with the garrison depleted, the killing began. Some residents, hearing gunshots, thought a fire had broken out: since there is only one telephone in town, Ipil's customary way to raise a fire alarm is to fire shots into the air. The gunmen, wearing black ninja hoods or blood-red neckerchiefs, fanned out through the town. The men killed a guard at the Allied Bank branch and emptied the tellers' drawers. When the assistant bank manager said he could not open the vault, they shot staff members and two remaining guards. Gunmen walked from store to store, often laughing, as they fired wildly and emptied cash registers.
"One man was drinking a Coke with one hand and shooting his AK-47 into shops with the other," recalled a resident. The killers came to Jeffrey Agtoto's family store twice; when he told the second group that his cash had already been taken, they killed him. Efren Pascualado, a young pastor, was shot in the leg. "I saw a man on a roof I thought was a soldier, and I said, 'Please, sir, help me.'" He wasn't a soldier. But in one of the few acts of kindness that day, the gunman told the pastor, "Escape."
At 1:20, the raid's leader gave a one-word order-"Impiyerno!" (Hell)-and the men started setting fire to Ipil; eventually the entire city center was virtually destroyed. When four fire fighters drove in from the edge of town on a yellow fire truck, the rebels shot the driver in the head. Then they made a leisurely withdrawal. From his house, where he was hiding with his family, Villafuerte watched them depart. "They stopped up the road at a shop to drink Cokes and beer," he said. "They didn't kill anybody. But I don't think they paid for the beers." After 4 p.m., the first military helicopters finally swooped over Ipil. By then the attackers had split into two groups and moved out to the distant hills, picking up a dozen more hostages as they went.
By week's end the army had poured more than 1,000 troops into the area, and they were fighting a running battle with some 200 rebels 15 mi. west of Ipil. The troops attacked with artillery and helicopter gunships, and the guerrillas returned the fire, forcing some 7,000 people to flee for their safety. Army officers said the rebels were trying to link up with reinforcements from an mnlf camp at Siocon, in the adjoining province. The Abu Sayyaf had forced civilians to bury at least 14 of their dead fighters. The toll on the other side: five hostages and three soldiers.
In Ipil, survivors were picking through the smoldering remains of their town for more bodies and looking toward the future with dread. "It was a peaceful place until this," said De los Reyes. Now she and other residents of Mindanao wonder whether they will know peace again. --Reported by John Colmey/Ipil and Nelly Sindayen/Manila.
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, An Arab jailed in California key to extremists' network,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ipil attackers pinned down, Rudy Saavedra, Romie Evangelista,
April 18, 1995, The Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf men execute 14 hostages, by Rudy Saavedra,
Abu Sayyaf guerillas brutally killed 14 of their civilian hostages on Friday in an island off Tungawan, Zamboanga del Sur as the captives begged for their lives, a critically wounded hostage who miraculously survived the carnage told reporters here.. Restituto Segundino, 24,
Diigo, April 18, 1995, DAWN, Manila seeks Islamabad's help against terrorism, by Anjum Niaz,
ISLAMABAD, April 18: Manila on Tuesday sought Islamabad's help to fight against terrorism and sign an anti-terrorist agreement to flush out Muslim militant groups operating from here who are believed to be involved in carrying out acts of terrorism in the Philippines.
Official sources told Dawn that the Philippines Interior Minister Raphael Alunan conveyed the proposal to his Pakistani counterpart Naseerullah Babar at a meeting here. Alunan is heading a nine-member delegation for talks with Pakistani officials and during his three-day stay he is expected to meet several senior police officials dealing with terrorism. He is scheduled to visit Peshawar also.
Diplomatic sources said Manila has complained about Muslim separatists groups in the Philippines having links with the Filipino Muslims living here and were receiving moral and material help from them.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali said that Pakistan had pledged to fight against terrorism and will entertain the Philippine government's request for an agreement on anti-terrorist law.
It may be mentioned that thousands of Muslim militants came to Pakistan during the Afghan war when Pakistan and the US armed and trained them to fight the Soviet occupation forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. After the war, the militants stayed on and associated themselves with Afghan mujahideen groups and non-governmental organisations engaged in welfare work inside Afghanistan.
DAWN WIRE SERVICE Week ending : 20 April 1995 Issue : 01/15 (c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995
Diigo, April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, Afghanistan, not Pakistan - FVR, by Fel V. Maragay,
Afghanistan, not Pakistan, is the site of clandestine training camps where international terrorists, possibly including Abu Sayyaf extremists from the Philippines, are being trained in guerilla warfare, President Ramos revealed yesterday.
The President, in a hastily-called press briefing said Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had disclosed to him of the existence of these training camps during her -two-day visit to Manila last February.
"What she told me is that this training for international terrorists is happening in Afghanistan near the Pakistani border and that Pakistan herself has been a victim of these international terrorists, whatever be their nationalities," Mr. Ramos said.
Alunan mission
Earlier, media reports emanating from Mindanao said Abu Sayyaf terrorists are being trained in batches in underground camps in Pakistan. Many of the trained Abu Sayyaf members have already returned to Mindanao, which explains the upsurge of their terrorist activities, the report said.
On Sunday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan III, flew to Pakistan armed with an official mission to discuss ways and means to strengthen the campaign against global terrorism.
Alunan's trip to Pakistan came on the heels of the President's order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police to isolate and crush the Abu Sayyaf terrorists by cutting their contacts with various terrorists abroad.
The President said that Alunan was invited by his Pakistani counterpart as a result of an agreement forged during Prime Minister Bhutto's recent visit to the Philippines.
"We agreed with Prime Minister Bhutto that we would jointly address and intensify our cooperation in combating international terrorism," he said.
Mr. Ramos said Bhutto was "most profuse" in her appreciation of the action of the Philippine government in sharing with the international community, including Pakistan, vital information on the activities of international terrorism [sic] Ramsi Ahmad Yousef, a Pakistani national.
Yousef was subsequently arrested in Pakistan and is now facing court trial for the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York last year which killed several people.
The President said the fight against international terrorism is a "multilateral effort" because it is for the benefit of all peace-loving countries.
"We have signaled the international community, specially those victims of international cooperation to lend their support in the same way that the Philippines has been performing and lending its support in uncovering international terrorists regardless of nationality," he said.
The President also said that a report that high-powered weapons being smuggled to Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Muslim rebels in Southern Philippines came from Afghanistan will be taken up in the forthcoming meeting of the National Security Council.
The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency has identified Afghanistan as a major source of firearms for Muslim terrorists and separatists. (Fel V. Maragay)
Diigo, April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Ipil no military job---Ramos,
President Ramos yesterday debunked allegations by some Muslim political leaders that the dastardly attack on Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur that left over 50 persons dead was a "covert special military operations" that went out of hand.
The President said there was unassailable proof that the attack on the peaceful coastal town was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf.
He told his weekly press conference that at least 30 of the estimated 200 raiders were "definitely identified as coming from the Abu Sayyaf."
Mr. Ramos, meanwhile, doubted the necessity of modifying the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), as he disagreed that the agreement is impending the military's offensive against Abu Sayyaf and other outlaws in Mindanao.
The Bangsa Moro Islamic Party (BMIP), speaking through its chairman Firdaussi Abbas and deputy secretary general Jul Asiri Hayudin, charged that the military plotted and carried out the Ipil raid to derail the peace talks with the MNLF because the government could not compromise its position on various issues being settled with the Muslim rebels.
The BMIP is described as the "political arm" of the MNLF. Abbas, however, had been identified with the MNLF Reformist Group, a breakaway Muslim rebel faction.
Abbas and Hayudin said the Abu Sayyaf could not have been responsible for the Ipil attack because "it does not have the manpower and firepower to undertake such an operation. They said the tactics employed by the raiders were very much different from those used by the Avu Sayyaf.
The same views were expressed by lawyer Macapanton Abbas Jr. a known adviser of MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari and chairman of the National Social Action Council. He is the brother of Firaussi Abbas.
Motley group
Macapanton Abbas said reliable information gathered from various sources indicated that the Ipil attack was carried out by a motley group consisting of former military men, ex-convicts, inmates from the San Ramon Penal Colony, common criminals In Ipil and Bolong municipalities and the so-called lost command of the MNLF, most of whom are not Muslims.
He proposed the formation of an inter-faith, presidential fact-finding commission to investigate the Ipil raid and establish once and for all its real perpetrators.
The President maintained that if the Armed Forces of the Philippines is encountering difficulties in its pursuit operations aginst the Abu Sayyaf, it is not because of the ceasefire agreement but because of other factors such as the mountainous terrain where they fled after the Ipil attack.
"I'm an old soldier myself, the difficulty is because of the terrain. And if you're pursuing (the terrorists) after two weeks, of course, unless you entrap them in one location, the quarry may have already escaped in different directions," he explained.
Mr. Ramos said that the best thing is to "just intensify your search, in addition to where you are, in other places."
De Villa
The President's statement contrasted with the view of Defense Secretary Renato de Villa who said that government troops are sometimes forced to halt their pursuit operations when Abu Sayyaf terrorists are given sanctuary in MNLF camps or territories.
De Villa favors a review of the ceasefire agreement to be initiated by Presidential Peace Adviser Manuel Yan, head of the government panel conducting peace talks with the MNLF. (Fel V. Maragay)
May 31, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, 2 Muslim extremist leaders escape jail in the Philippines,
MANILA, Philippines - Two ranking officers of a Muslim extremist group blamed for a spate of bombings and raids in the southern Philippines have escaped from their Manila jail cell, police said today.
Khadafy Janjalani and Juvenal Bruno, described by police as ranking leaders of the Abu Sayyaf fundamentalist group, escaped Monday through the ceilings of their cells at the national police headquarters, a police spokesman said.
Janjalani is the brother of Abu Sayyaf chief Abubakar Janjalani, while Bruno is the group's intelligence officer. They were arrested on southern Jolo Island in February and brought to Manila for questioning.
Police blamed Abu Sayyaf guerrillas for a savage raid on the southern town of Ipil in April in which 53 people, mostly unarmed civilians, were massacred.
March 5, 1999, AsiaNow, Mindanao's Chance, Manila wants to make peace with a Muslim rebel group still fighting for independence, by Antonio Lopez,
June 2, 2000, AsiaNow, Vol.. 28, No. 21, Who's Behind The Blasts? Manila is divided over the perpetrators, by Antonio Lopez,
May 8, 2000, Time Magazine, An Invasion of Paradise, by Terry McCarthy, Nelly Sindayen,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 1, 14 hostages hacked to death; Sayyaf men ignore pleas for mercy,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf men execute 14 hostages, by Rudy Saavedra, Diigo,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Afghanistan, not Pakistan - FVR, by Fel V. Maragay, Diigo,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Global pressure needed vs terrorists -- Mercado, by Marichu A. Villanueva,
April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Security Council meeting set, by Joem H. Macaspac,
April 18, 1995, DAWN, Manila seeks Islamabad's help against terrorism, by Anjum Niaz, Diigo,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Misuari confirms existence of MNLF breakaway faction, by Joe Macabalang,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Malacanang studying ceasefire suspension, by Joem Macaspac,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Mindanao Bosnia-in-making?, by Rudy Saavedra,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 7, Trial of terrorist suspects at Crame backed, by Arlie Valalo,
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 8, Opinion, Salonga's memoirs as a moral document, by Petronilo Bn Daroy,
April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Two more gunships sent to Zambo Sur, by Rudy Saavedra,
April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Stragglers kill 2 policemen,
April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Ipil no military job---Ramos, Diigo,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Most of Sayyaf men back in home bases, says AFP,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ramos urges global anti-terror drive,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, RP, Pakistan OK anti-terrorist action,
April 21, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, NSC to take up Sayyaf arms sources,
April 27, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Saudi trader held in Calif. linked to Muslim extremists, Prudencio Europa,
May 2, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippines Secures Help From Mainstream Guerrillas, Diigo,
May 4, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Felina Speaks: Terror where least expected, by Felina Saguil
May 13, 1995, The Economist (US), Southern terror: Philippines (terrorists believed to be Muslim)
May 27, 1995, Los Angeles Times / Seattle Times News Services, Terrorist Plot Targeted 11 U.S. Airliners In Day -- Muslim Extremist Leader Had Developed Undetectable Nitro Bombs, Records Show, by Charles P. Wallace, Diigo,
May 31, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, 2 Muslim extremist leaders escape jail in the Philippines, Diigo,
June 4, 1995, The Filipino Express, FVR unveils Zamboanga economic plan, by Kathleen Dijamco,
June 22, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippine extremists free boy, 10, after four months, Diigo,
June 24, 1995, The Business Times [Malaysia] page 19, Muslim extremism in the Philippines, by Referico V. Magdelena, Diigo,
July 2, 1995, The Filipino Express, Moslem Leader Says, Failure of dialogue may mean war, Butch Franco,
July 9, 1995, The Filipino Express, Moslem-RP gov't talks bring fresh hopes for peace, by Carlito Pablo,
July 13, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Moslem bandits free 3 teachers, by Edmund M. Silvestre,
July 23, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Troops sent to Philippine island to quell uprising, Diigo,
August 3, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Misuari bats for Moslem autonomy, by Ruben Alabastro,
August 6, 1995, The Filipino Express, Moslem guerillas back Misuari, by Ruben Alabastro,
August 9, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Police Unearth Group's Plot To Raid 2 Philippine Towns, Diigo,
October 14, 1995, The Economist (US) With the rebels: Philippines. (the Moro Islamic Liberation Front)
November 9, 1995, Filipino Reporter, Misuari sees 'chaos' if peace talks fail, by Roberto C. Ordonez,
Diigo, November 11, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Gunmen Rob 300 People, Take 2 Hostages in Philippines,
December 5, 2008, Lazamboanga Times, Gen. Ramos: Hitting 2 Birds with 1 Stone in 1995 Burning and Looting of Ipil, by John L. Shinn III,
Diigo, December 29, 1995, Seattle Times News Services / AP, Kidnappers Threaten To Kill U.S. Captives
(Madhatta Asagal Haipe)
Diigo, April 4, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, Philippine Rebels Burn, Plunder City,
Tuesday,
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines - About 200 heavily armed Muslim renegades ransacked a southern Philippine town today, robbing banks and stores and battling troops flown in to quell the insurgency. At least 100 people died in the fighting.
President Fidel Ramos ordered police and soldiers flown in by helicopter to "shoot to kill" the bandits, and he declared a state of emergency in Ipil, a town of 50,000 people about 480 miles south of Manila.
The gunmen arrived in boats and a bus, and some were waiting in position when the signal was given for them to raid four of the town's seven banks simultaneously at midday, according to radio reports and the military.
They also ransacked at least one department store and set many buildings on fire to confuse police and soldiers, said military spokesman Maj. Fredesvindo Covarrubias.
In addition to the 100 people killed, he said, 30 others were wounded as the attack turned Ipil into a virtual battlefield. Radio reports said that in late afternoon, thick smoke from burning buildings blanketed the town.
A local military commander said he sent armored personnel carriers after the bandits, who had holed up inside the compound of the public works office. After 30 minutes of heavy fighting, the bandits fled toward a nearby forest, said the commander, Col. Roberto Santiago.
It was not immediately known how many, if any, of the casualties were raiders.
Among those killed were the town police chief, the commander of the 10th Infantry Battalion stationed in Ipil and a local bank manager.
Covarrubias said the gunmen belonged to a breakaway Muslim rebel faction that has turned to banditry. Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan said a flag of the group, Abu Sayyaf, was recovered in Ipil.
Edwin Angeles, a former Abu Sayyaf officer who surrendered to authorities recently, said the attack was in retaliation for the arrest of six alleged Arab Muslim extremists in a Manila suburb last Saturday. The men, who allegedly had ties to the defendants in the World Trade Center bombing, are accused of plotting terrorist attacks.
"There are many more such attacks that will follow," Angeles told Manila television ABS-CBN.
__________________________________________________________________________
April 19, 1995, Manila Standard, page 7, Trial of terrorist suspects at Crame backed, by Arlie Valalo,
The top brass of the Northern Police District Command (NPDC) yesterday supported the move of Kalookan City judges to try the illegal possession of firearms and explosives charges against the six suspected Arab terrorists inside Camp Crame for security reasons.
Col. Rex Piad, NPDC director, made the decision after intelligence reports disclosed that 19 members of the terrorist group to which the six suspects belong are still out hiding in the metropolis. [...]
Piad told the Standard it was too risky for police authorities to escort the six suspects from their Camp Crame detention cell to the Kalookan RTC building should the trial start.
Isam Mohammad Abdulahadi, 25, Jordanian; Nabil al-Riyami, 28, Omani; Ashram Alyazouri, 28, Jordanian; Mohammad Ismael Abu-Shendi, 28, Jordanian; Wail Rached El Kaatib, 26, Palestinian; and their alleged leader Heide Alghoul Yousef, 28, Jordanian.
April 6, 1995, Manila Standard / AP, Reuter, page 3, Troops on search-and-destroy mission,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 10, Globalizing terror, by Alex Magno,
April 8, 1995, Manila Standard, page 11, The opposition gloats over Ipil tragedy,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, Editorial, A demand for arms,
April 9, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Zambo folk demand arms, by Romy Tangbawan,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, MNLF link to Ipil massacre eyed,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, People cower in fear,
April 10, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, No arms for Ipil townsfolk,
Diigo, April 12, 1995, Manila Standard, page 24, Ipil drive pressed; residents flee homes,
MNLF group owns Ipil carnage,
A previously unheard of Muslim Guallatiri group on Tuesday claimed "full responsibility" for the savage massacre of 53 people in the southern Philippine town of Ipil last week.
The group, calling itself the Islamic Command Council of the mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), demanded the setting up of a separate Muslim state in the country's southern islands.
"The Islamic Command Council of the Moro National Liberation Front claims full responsibility for the seige of the Ipil town," it said in a statement faxed to Reuters.
It was the first time any group had admitted responsibility for the attack which President Ramos has blamed on the Abu Sayyaf fundamentalist group.
The statement, signed by one Banrilan Kudart who identified himself as being in charge of the "council on information," said the group was "now taking full charge of the command of the ... Muslim armed struggle" in the Philippines.
"What happened in Ipil and those that occurred unreported in other areas are no more, no less a categorical statement that there can be no peace without the independence of the Bangsamoro Muslim homeland," it said. (Reuters)
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, MNLF ceasefire review eyed, by Fel V. Maragay,
President Ramos agreed yesterday on the need to review and possibly modify the ceasefiere agreement between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Moro National Liberation Front in view of AFP's assessment that it has impeded the military offensive against Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist elements in Mindanao.
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Exodus from Zambo Sur continues,
Some 100 Muslim families have fled their homes in Baliguian town, Zamboanga del Norte, for fear of reprisal attacks from armed Christian groups.
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, No need for rewards, says Ramos,
April 13, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf leader sighted in Basilan,
Eight days after the pillage of Ipil town in Zamboangao del Sur, Abu Sayyaf leader Abdurajak Abubaker Janjalani, along with 60 of his armed followers, was sighted at a coastal village in Sumisip, Basilan.
Diigo, April 16, 1995, The Gadsden Times / AP, Filipino police ordered to crush extremists,
MANILA, Philippines -- President Fidel Ramos ordered police Saturday to intensify their campaign to crush Muslim extremists blamed for raiding a town and plotting to kill the pope and blow up U.S. airliners.
The order was issued against the shadowy Abu Sayyaf group, accused of the April 4 raid on the mostly Christian town of Ipil in which 53 people were killed. The military said Abu Sayyaf renegades were still holding 13 hostages. Police believe Abu Sayyaf has close ties to Ramzi Yousef, accused of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York, a plot last January to kill Pope John Paul II and a plot to blow up United Airlines jets.
Ramos said Abu Sayyaf has "strong connections with foreign terrorist groups" and police must crush them by "cutting their contacts" with those groups.
"The only way the international terrorists can be prevented from implementing their plan is for all nations to unite and cooperate through exchanges of information," Ramos said.
Diigo, April 17, 1995, Time Magazine, Death in the Afternoon, by Anthony Speath, John Colmey in Ipil and Nelly Sindayen in Manila,
Dressed in military fatigues and carrying rifles, the strangers began drifting into town the night of April 3 and continued arriving the next morning. Some came on buses, others in a truck. Residents of the isolated trading town of Ipil (pop. 52,000), 500 mi. south of Manila, noticed the newcomers. But soldiers are a common sight most places in the Philippines, particularly on the turbulent southern island of Mindanao, with its history of Muslim insurgency. "We thought they were real army," said Arturo Dimla, a local accounts clerk.
Until 12:30 p.m. the next day, that is, when one of the gunmen entered the Emil Emilios Restaurant and Bakeshop and shot dead a Philippine army major as he ate lunch. For the next 2 1/2 hours, the fake soldiers made Ipil a hell on earth. They gunned down men, women and children, plundered the town's seven banks and took money from shops. "They were killing people like they do this every day," said a survivor, Loyita de los Reyes. Rogelio Villafuerte, a public-works engineer, said, "They came to town ready to start a war." The 200 or so gunmen ended the carnage around 3 p.m., then sauntered out of town, taking along 13 hostages, including a group of women wearing uniforms from Gerry's department store. Left behind were 53 dead, 44 wounded and a white flag with the name of Abu Sayyaf (Bearer of the Sword), a Muslim separatist group known to have ties to terrorists.
Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan said the attack was staged in retaliation for the arrest of six alleged Muslim militants in Manila on April 1 for illegal possession of firearms and explosives. Another theory held that the assault was simply a terrorist fund raiser: the gunmen left town with sacks of cash totaling $1 million. Whatever the motivation, the incident was the latest evidence that despite decades of fighting and negotiating, the Philippines, with a mostly Christian population of 66 million, has still to solve the problem of separatism among its 6 million Muslims. Two days after the Ipil raid, President Fidel Ramos fired the leader of the army's southern command, Brigadier General Regino Lacson, as well as the commander of the 102nd Infantry Brigade, near Ipil. At week's end Ramos flew to the town to survey the damage. After meeting with town and military officials, he barked, "Go get those terrorists and protect our communities."
The government had been expecting Abu Sayyaf to make a move as early as two weeks ago. The five-year-old group, one of several demanding either autonomy or a separate Muslim state on Mindanao, has been linked to the Islamic fundamentalists charged with planning the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York City. The connections have been detailed in recent weeks by Edwin Angeles, once Abu Sayyaf's military strategist, who surrendered to Philippine authorities in February after a falling out with his fellow fighters. Angeles, backed by military intelligence, has linked Abu Sayyaf with Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the World Trade Center attack.
Ipil, a predominantly Catholic town, was the site of violence between Muslim insurgents and Christian vigilantes in 1972, the first battle of a 20-year Muslim insurrection on Mindanao that left more than 50,000 people dead. The ferocity of last week's attack surprised even followers of Abu Sayyaf. The group was previously thought to have only about 350 armed members, mostly on the smaller islands of Basilan and Jolo rather than Mindanao. After the Ipil slaughter, military-intelligence officers are convinced that Abu Sayyaf is receiving help from members of the country's two largest Muslim fighting groups, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which have a combined armed force of 15,000. The mnlf is engaged in peace negotiations with the Ramos government, talks that have so far yielded preliminary agreements between the two sides. Abu Sayyaf, which includes several grown children of Muslim separatists killed in the 1970s conflict, maintains that the peace talks betray the Muslim cause.
Few believe that Abu Sayyaf could have acted alone in unfamiliar territory, especially given the careful planning that preceded the assault. It began with a diversionary tactic at dawn Tuesday, when unidentified armed men attacked security guards at a gold mine 15 mi. outside the town. Colonel Roberto Santiago, the 102nd Brigade commander, sent his 40 best soldiers. At 12:30, with the garrison depleted, the killing began. Some residents, hearing gunshots, thought a fire had broken out: since there is only one telephone in town, Ipil's customary way to raise a fire alarm is to fire shots into the air. The gunmen, wearing black ninja hoods or blood-red neckerchiefs, fanned out through the town. The men killed a guard at the Allied Bank branch and emptied the tellers' drawers. When the assistant bank manager said he could not open the vault, they shot staff members and two remaining guards. Gunmen walked from store to store, often laughing, as they fired wildly and emptied cash registers.
"One man was drinking a Coke with one hand and shooting his AK-47 into shops with the other," recalled a resident. The killers came to Jeffrey Agtoto's family store twice; when he told the second group that his cash had already been taken, they killed him. Efren Pascualado, a young pastor, was shot in the leg. "I saw a man on a roof I thought was a soldier, and I said, 'Please, sir, help me.'" He wasn't a soldier. But in one of the few acts of kindness that day, the gunman told the pastor, "Escape."
At 1:20, the raid's leader gave a one-word order-"Impiyerno!" (Hell)-and the men started setting fire to Ipil; eventually the entire city center was virtually destroyed. When four fire fighters drove in from the edge of town on a yellow fire truck, the rebels shot the driver in the head. Then they made a leisurely withdrawal. From his house, where he was hiding with his family, Villafuerte watched them depart. "They stopped up the road at a shop to drink Cokes and beer," he said. "They didn't kill anybody. But I don't think they paid for the beers." After 4 p.m., the first military helicopters finally swooped over Ipil. By then the attackers had split into two groups and moved out to the distant hills, picking up a dozen more hostages as they went.
By week's end the army had poured more than 1,000 troops into the area, and they were fighting a running battle with some 200 rebels 15 mi. west of Ipil. The troops attacked with artillery and helicopter gunships, and the guerrillas returned the fire, forcing some 7,000 people to flee for their safety. Army officers said the rebels were trying to link up with reinforcements from an mnlf camp at Siocon, in the adjoining province. The Abu Sayyaf had forced civilians to bury at least 14 of their dead fighters. The toll on the other side: five hostages and three soldiers.
In Ipil, survivors were picking through the smoldering remains of their town for more bodies and looking toward the future with dread. "It was a peaceful place until this," said De los Reyes. Now she and other residents of Mindanao wonder whether they will know peace again. --Reported by John Colmey/Ipil and Nelly Sindayen/Manila.
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, An Arab jailed in California key to extremists' network,
April 17, 1995, Manila Standard, page 3, Ipil attackers pinned down, Rudy Saavedra, Romie Evangelista,
April 18, 1995, The Manila Standard, page 3, Abu Sayyaf men execute 14 hostages, by Rudy Saavedra,
Abu Sayyaf guerillas brutally killed 14 of their civilian hostages on Friday in an island off Tungawan, Zamboanga del Sur as the captives begged for their lives, a critically wounded hostage who miraculously survived the carnage told reporters here.. Restituto Segundino, 24,
Diigo, April 18, 1995, DAWN, Manila seeks Islamabad's help against terrorism, by Anjum Niaz,
ISLAMABAD, April 18: Manila on Tuesday sought Islamabad's help to fight against terrorism and sign an anti-terrorist agreement to flush out Muslim militant groups operating from here who are believed to be involved in carrying out acts of terrorism in the Philippines.
Official sources told Dawn that the Philippines Interior Minister Raphael Alunan conveyed the proposal to his Pakistani counterpart Naseerullah Babar at a meeting here. Alunan is heading a nine-member delegation for talks with Pakistani officials and during his three-day stay he is expected to meet several senior police officials dealing with terrorism. He is scheduled to visit Peshawar also.
Diplomatic sources said Manila has complained about Muslim separatists groups in the Philippines having links with the Filipino Muslims living here and were receiving moral and material help from them.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Sardar Assef Ahmad Ali said that Pakistan had pledged to fight against terrorism and will entertain the Philippine government's request for an agreement on anti-terrorist law.
It may be mentioned that thousands of Muslim militants came to Pakistan during the Afghan war when Pakistan and the US armed and trained them to fight the Soviet occupation forces in neighbouring Afghanistan. After the war, the militants stayed on and associated themselves with Afghan mujahideen groups and non-governmental organisations engaged in welfare work inside Afghanistan.
DAWN WIRE SERVICE Week ending : 20 April 1995 Issue : 01/15 (c) Pakistan Herald Publications (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan - 1995
Diigo, April 18, 1995, Manila Standard, Afghanistan, not Pakistan - FVR, by Fel V. Maragay,
Afghanistan, not Pakistan, is the site of clandestine training camps where international terrorists, possibly including Abu Sayyaf extremists from the Philippines, are being trained in guerilla warfare, President Ramos revealed yesterday.
The President, in a hastily-called press briefing said Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had disclosed to him of the existence of these training camps during her -two-day visit to Manila last February.
"What she told me is that this training for international terrorists is happening in Afghanistan near the Pakistani border and that Pakistan herself has been a victim of these international terrorists, whatever be their nationalities," Mr. Ramos said.
Alunan mission
Earlier, media reports emanating from Mindanao said Abu Sayyaf terrorists are being trained in batches in underground camps in Pakistan. Many of the trained Abu Sayyaf members have already returned to Mindanao, which explains the upsurge of their terrorist activities, the report said.
On Sunday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan III, flew to Pakistan armed with an official mission to discuss ways and means to strengthen the campaign against global terrorism.
Alunan's trip to Pakistan came on the heels of the President's order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police to isolate and crush the Abu Sayyaf terrorists by cutting their contacts with various terrorists abroad.
The President said that Alunan was invited by his Pakistani counterpart as a result of an agreement forged during Prime Minister Bhutto's recent visit to the Philippines.
"We agreed with Prime Minister Bhutto that we would jointly address and intensify our cooperation in combating international terrorism," he said.
Mr. Ramos said Bhutto was "most profuse" in her appreciation of the action of the Philippine government in sharing with the international community, including Pakistan, vital information on the activities of international terrorism [sic] Ramsi Ahmad Yousef, a Pakistani national.
Yousef was subsequently arrested in Pakistan and is now facing court trial for the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York last year which killed several people.
The President said the fight against international terrorism is a "multilateral effort" because it is for the benefit of all peace-loving countries.
"We have signaled the international community, specially those victims of international cooperation to lend their support in the same way that the Philippines has been performing and lending its support in uncovering international terrorists regardless of nationality," he said.
The President also said that a report that high-powered weapons being smuggled to Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Muslim rebels in Southern Philippines came from Afghanistan will be taken up in the forthcoming meeting of the National Security Council.
The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency has identified Afghanistan as a major source of firearms for Muslim terrorists and separatists. (Fel V. Maragay)
Diigo, April 20, 1995, Manila Standard, page 2, Ipil no military job---Ramos,
President Ramos yesterday debunked allegations by some Muslim political leaders that the dastardly attack on Ipil, Zamboanga del Sur that left over 50 persons dead was a "covert special military operations" that went out of hand.
The President said there was unassailable proof that the attack on the peaceful coastal town was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf.
He told his weekly press conference that at least 30 of the estimated 200 raiders were "definitely identified as coming from the Abu Sayyaf."
Mr. Ramos, meanwhile, doubted the necessity of modifying the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), as he disagreed that the agreement is impending the military's offensive against Abu Sayyaf and other outlaws in Mindanao.
The Bangsa Moro Islamic Party (BMIP), speaking through its chairman Firdaussi Abbas and deputy secretary general Jul Asiri Hayudin, charged that the military plotted and carried out the Ipil raid to derail the peace talks with the MNLF because the government could not compromise its position on various issues being settled with the Muslim rebels.
The BMIP is described as the "political arm" of the MNLF. Abbas, however, had been identified with the MNLF Reformist Group, a breakaway Muslim rebel faction.
Abbas and Hayudin said the Abu Sayyaf could not have been responsible for the Ipil attack because "it does not have the manpower and firepower to undertake such an operation. They said the tactics employed by the raiders were very much different from those used by the Avu Sayyaf.
The same views were expressed by lawyer Macapanton Abbas Jr. a known adviser of MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari and chairman of the National Social Action Council. He is the brother of Firaussi Abbas.
Motley group
Macapanton Abbas said reliable information gathered from various sources indicated that the Ipil attack was carried out by a motley group consisting of former military men, ex-convicts, inmates from the San Ramon Penal Colony, common criminals In Ipil and Bolong municipalities and the so-called lost command of the MNLF, most of whom are not Muslims.
He proposed the formation of an inter-faith, presidential fact-finding commission to investigate the Ipil raid and establish once and for all its real perpetrators.
The President maintained that if the Armed Forces of the Philippines is encountering difficulties in its pursuit operations aginst the Abu Sayyaf, it is not because of the ceasefire agreement but because of other factors such as the mountainous terrain where they fled after the Ipil attack.
"I'm an old soldier myself, the difficulty is because of the terrain. And if you're pursuing (the terrorists) after two weeks, of course, unless you entrap them in one location, the quarry may have already escaped in different directions," he explained.
Mr. Ramos said that the best thing is to "just intensify your search, in addition to where you are, in other places."
De Villa
The President's statement contrasted with the view of Defense Secretary Renato de Villa who said that government troops are sometimes forced to halt their pursuit operations when Abu Sayyaf terrorists are given sanctuary in MNLF camps or territories.
De Villa favors a review of the ceasefire agreement to be initiated by Presidential Peace Adviser Manuel Yan, head of the government panel conducting peace talks with the MNLF. (Fel V. Maragay)
May 31, 1995, Seattle Times News Services, 2 Muslim extremist leaders escape jail in the Philippines,
MANILA, Philippines - Two ranking officers of a Muslim extremist group blamed for a spate of bombings and raids in the southern Philippines have escaped from their Manila jail cell, police said today.
Khadafy Janjalani and Juvenal Bruno, described by police as ranking leaders of the Abu Sayyaf fundamentalist group, escaped Monday through the ceilings of their cells at the national police headquarters, a police spokesman said.
Janjalani is the brother of Abu Sayyaf chief Abubakar Janjalani, while Bruno is the group's intelligence officer. They were arrested on southern Jolo Island in February and brought to Manila for questioning.
Police blamed Abu Sayyaf guerrillas for a savage raid on the southern town of Ipil in April in which 53 people, mostly unarmed civilians, were massacred.
March 5, 1999, AsiaNow, Mindanao's Chance, Manila wants to make peace with a Muslim rebel group still fighting for independence, by Antonio Lopez,
June 2, 2000, AsiaNow, Vol.. 28, No. 21, Who's Behind The Blasts? Manila is divided over the perpetrators, by Antonio Lopez,
May 8, 2000, Time Magazine, An Invasion of Paradise, by Terry McCarthy, Nelly Sindayen,
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