Rebels Say Philippine Army Is Using Mosques As Military Camps

In the Philippines, the army last August resumed its 40 year battle against the Moro Islamic Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in oil and gas-rich areas in the southern Philippines. The fighting resumed after the Philippine Supreme Court declared a Memorandum of Agreement between the parties illegal. (Background.) Yesterday World Bulletin reported that the MILF called on the army to stop using mosques as military camps as it is doing in the town of Datu Piang in Maguindanao. The MILF's statement said that converting mosques into military camps offends the sensibilities of Muslims and is a "grave violation of international humanitarian law."