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Muslim separatist rebels on Saturday offered their help in tracking
down those behind a shopping mall bombing that killed nine and
injured 113 in Manila.
The 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) said it is “prepared to gather intelligence for the
Philippine authorities if asked to do so,” spokesman Eid Kabalu
told the news agency Agence France Presse (AFP).
“We would like to help out if asked. This
could help the military at least eliminate some groups from their
list of suspects,” he said.
He added that the offer was being made as a
“sincere gesture” to help revive its stalled peace talks with
the government.
Philippine police said initial investigations
showed that the bomb used on Glorietta mall on Friday was most
likely C4 explosives that is only used by the military in the
Philippines.
It said it has not pinpointed any group, but
authorities were also looking at the possibility that Abu Sayyaf
Islamic militants or the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) could have played a
hand in the attack.
The MILF signed a truce with Manila in 2003,
paving the way for peace talks. But disagreements over territorial
issues have stalled the negotiations since last year.
As part of the negotiations, MILF had earlier
denounced links with the Abu Sayyaf and JI and said it would help
troops track down foreign militants known to operate in its areas on
the southern island of Mindanao.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the
country’s worst terrorist attacks, while the JI is believed to be
the Southeast Asian arm of al-Qaeda.
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