Manila mulls Muslim rebels could resort to terror

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MANILA, Sept 8(AFP)The Philippines military fears hardline Muslim rebels could resort to terror attacks after a major flareup of a separatist conflict in the south, the armed forces chief of staff said today. brGeneral Alexander Yano said military operations have reduced the fighting capability of two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) factions blamed for pillaging dozens of villages across Mindanao island last month, leaving scores of civilians dead. brThey have splintered into smaller units and are evading government troops, and we anticipate that they might resort to terrorist acts or guerrilla (warfare) in small and splintered formations, Yano told reporters. brThere are contingency situations (that) have to be anticipated and preparations have to be made, but definitely these cannot be announced, he said. brThe International Committee of the Red Cross has said the fighting has been the worst in five years, and that up to a half a million people have been affected, with many forced to flee their homes. brFighting broke out between troops and the 12,000-strong MILF on August 10 after the Supreme Court blocked a draft peace agreement intended to create a political settlement to four decades of sectarian bloodshed. brManila has effectively suspended the peace talks and offered a 25 million-peso (535,000-dollar) bounty for three senior MILF leaders accused of leading the raids.