By NONOY E. LACSON
ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is set to form four companies of fighters that will be deployed to fight the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and other terrorists operating in Sulu.
Each MNLF company is composed of 130 combatants, according to MNLF Central Committee deputy secretary-general Abuamri Taddik.
Taddik said the four companies will initially form the task force composed of well-trained fighters.
“They will be deployed in the troubled towns of Talipao, Parang, Indanan and Patikul in Sulu,” he added.
The four towns in Sulu are known haven of kidnappers and terrorists, most of them members of the ASG which links with ISIS.
On Saturday, about 1,500 MNLF members from all over Mindanao will convene at the main headquarters in Indanan, Sulu for the formal launching of the “MNLF Anti Kidnapping and Anti-Terrorism Task Force” in Sulu.
Taddik said the creation of the task force is aimed at making Sulu peaceful and not a dumping ground for kidnapped victims.
For his part, Abdul Sahrin, the MNLF central committee secretary-general, said the MNLF decided to form the task force to help the government in its peace building efforts.
“We want to use this battalion of MNLF combatants to help the government neutralized kidnappers and terrorists in Sulu province. Dahil ito ang malaking problema sa komunidad,” Sahrin said.
“We want to help the Duterte government in their peace effort, as we also wanted to bring back the peace and tranquility of Sulu as experienced in the 60s,” he added.
Sahrin, however, clarified before the MNLF combatants engage the terrorists, they will first talk to them and their relatives and ask them to stop or face the consequences.
“We will exhaust every effort by means of advising them, and if they will insist what we do not like to them to do, we are going to use our force,” Sahrin warned.