InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
Ameril Umbra Kato, the leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) that was created as a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), was allegedly hospitalized in a "premier hospital" in Cebu City last month, the MILF said on Monday.
A statement from www.luwaran.com cited a "reliable source" from Cebu City as the source of the report. The allegation was also purportedlycorroborated by a government official in Maguindanao.
Kato, who has a P10 million bounty on his head, is suffering from the ill effects of heart attack. The MILF said Kato's lieutenant, Mohammad Ali Tambako, has taken hold of the BIFM.
The MILF said reports reaching them indicated that Kato's hospitalization was paid for by a politician who was not identified.
“We knew of Kato’s presence in Cebu one day after he arrived, but we kept the information close to our heart for humanitarian reasons,” according to the MILF's source.
Sought for reaction, the Army's 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao said they have no confirmation of the MILF statement but said Kato was already "bedridden," said Col. Prudencio Asto, 6th ID spokesman.
Asto, who provided Interaksyon.com with a photo of Kato taken last August 6, said the rebel leader was unable to stand on his own and was already a "vegetable."
Asto said the photo showed Kato being evacuated by his men from his camp just days before the Army was able to capture it.
Clashes between the Army and the BIFM have erupted in previous weeks, resulting in several fatalities from both sides.
The MILF has renewed its call to the BIFM to "rethink their position especially launching military attacks in civilian-populated areas."
“This will not give you any political gain; instead will further delegitimize your organization," said Muhammad Ameen, head of the MILF Secretariat.
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