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By Anthony Vargas Reporter
AN independent fact-finding panel
investigating the killing of 14 Marines in Basilan last month
completed its task Wednesday clearing the way for government forces
to launch an offensive to arrest the suspects.
A team from the Coordinating
Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) wrapped up its
investigation hours before its deadline expired Wednesday midnight.
Von Al Haq, CCCH co-chairman for
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, confirmed that the inquiry had
been completed and the secretariat was finalizing its report.
“We’re finished . . . the
joint team is working on the report,” Haq told reporters during a
phone-patch interview in Camp Aguinaldo.
Haq said the final report would
be submitted to the chief negotiators of the government and the MILF.
Although Haq declined to say what
the results of the investigations were, the number of suspects
issued arrest warrants is expected to be reduced.
The Basilan police has received
arrest warrants for 130 MILF guerrillas and Abu Sayyaf extremists
who have been implicated in the killing of 14 Marines during an
encounter on July 10 and the beheading of 10 of the soldiers.
The MILF claims the Marines had
strayed into MILF territory while searching for kidnapped Italian
priest Giancarlo Bossi, who has since been freed elsewhere.
A military offensive had been put
on hold twice to allow the CCCH to complete its investigation.
Police said Wednesday that they
were still tracking the suspects.
“We are continuously monitoring
the possible location of the suspects and we will implement the law
by serving the [arrest] warrants,” said Basilan police chief Supt.
Macapantar Salik.
He said police were monitoring
the movements of the Muslim rebels who had gone into hiding ahead of
a massive police raid on Tuesday.
The deputy military chief, Lt.
Gen. Pedrito Cadungog, said soldiers were ready to move against the
MILF but “we are prevented from making offensive actions because
there are some negotiations for surrendering those perpetrators.”
Cadungog said the military was
letting the police action take precedence but would not say how long
the troops would wait before launching a planned offensive against
the MILF.
More troops continued to be
dispatched to Basilan in anticipation of the offensive.
The action against the MILF was
delayed until Tuesday following a warning by Japan and Canada that
they would halt their aid programs in the south if the fighting
escalated.
--With AFP
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