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Mindanao: The Philippines military accused a separatist rebel group of training teenaged soldiers, after a television station aired a video that was seized by government forces from the rebels training camp in the southern Philippines.
"The video showed teenagers being trained inside the camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf) in North Cotabato," said Major General Raymundo Ferrer, the regional military commander in the south.
"Child soldiers are those below 18 years old. They should not be used in war or in any conflict. This is wrong. The Milf leaders are endangering civilians and even children. Worse, the Milf is known for establishing outposts near civilian communities," said Ferrer.
The video, aired by ABS CBN late Thursday night, was seized in early September by ground troops from the base of Ameril Kato, one of three Milf renegade leaders who are being pursued by government forces for the series of fatal attacks on civilian villages in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte last August, said Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the Philippine Army's 6th Infantry Division.
The video showed hazy images of teenagers marching with their rifles in a camp in the south.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines will send the video to international agencies so that the Milf will be chastised, said Ando, adding a UN treaty bans the use of children in combat zones.
Rebel response
"They are young mujahidden or revolutionaries trained to defend themselves from attackers," explained Eid Kabalu, spokesman of the Milf.
But Milf vice-chairman Ghadzali Jaafar claimed, "Children are not used as regular Milf soldiers. The video was not authentic but a propaganda tool against the Milf."
An independent group called the Kabiba Alliance for Children's Concerns in the south said the military was just trying to cover up for its human rights abuses in Mindanao.
"The accusation was meant to justify the atrocities committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to children civilians," said the group's Honey May Idul-Suazo.
"The video was aired after the Philippine Air Force was being investigated for allegedly dropping OV-10 bombs on 10 boats, killing 21 people, seven of them children in the south last Monday," said Suazo.
The government has repeatedly accused the Milf of using civilians as a shield as they escape from government soldiers.
The Philippine government refused to resume peace talks with the Milf if it does not surrender Kato and two other wanted renegade Milf leaders.
Disarming demand
The leaders have been accused of killing women and children, pillaging villages and burning homes in 20 villages in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte. The government wanted the Milf to disarm, as a condition for the resumption of the talks.
Hundreds have been killed since clashes between military and the Milf broke out last month.
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