ON FIRE. Black smoke billowed from the area of Sarimanok in Marawi City on Saturday morning, May 27 as attack helicopters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines pounded the area where members of Maute group are believed to be holding their position. (Alexander Lopez/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The collaboration between the US forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines only worsens the crisis in the besieged Marawi City, a Moro leader said in a statement on Wednesday.
“While we condemn the terror acts of the Maute group, the exaggerated counter-terror response by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and their partner US soldiers that has aggravated the situation of the Marawi residents and heir communities,” Jerome Succor Aba, spokesperson of Suara Bangsamoro said.
“The Moro people are not terrorists,” Aba said pointed out as he condemned the role of the US government for what he described as “instigating and using extremist groups and condoning their terrorist attacks in covert and overt operations to support of their regime change policy in countries against the United States government and to serve the purpose for justifying the US global “war on terror.”
Aba said that US had used the same tactic in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria” and now in Mindanao.
“They turned our communities into war zone showcasing their latest military arsenal and conducting military operations that are illegal, unconstitutional and destructive. They undermined the legitimate struggle of the people for right to self-determination by tagging all struggles as acts of terrorism,” he said.
“The US blatantly trashed our sovereignty by meddling in the affairs of our homeland to protect their economic and political interest,” Aba said. “It is the US, through its war on terror that exacerbated the Muslim scare and further divided the Christians from the Moro,” Aba added.
Exclusive photos taken by Filipino reporter Raffy Tima showing a team of US special forces arriving in Marawi City.
Aba is also a convenor of this year’s Kalinaw Mindanao National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission whose mission is to provide relief and medical services to more than 200, 000 evacuees in Marawi City.
The mission will cover five mission areas: Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, Iligan City in Lanao del Norte, Matanao in Davao del Sur, President Roxas in North Cotabato and Mamasapano in Maguindanao.
More than 750 volunteers, a mixed composition of Moro, Christian and Lumad individuals, participated in the humanitarian mission for Marawi City organized by Kalinaw Mindanao.
Kalinaw Mindanao, an alliance of faith-based, service organizations, human rights and people’s organizations.
“Kalinaw, meaning peace, is what we seek in Mindanao. So much suffering and violence has been done to the Mindanawons, especially our Moro brothers and sisters. This has to stop now,” Aida Ibrahim, spokesperson of Kalinaw Mindanao-Northern Mindanao Region said. (davaotoday.com)
