PH Moro rebel group condemns Paris attacks

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – The largest Moro rebel group in the Philippines has condemned the terrorist attacks on Paris, calling the carnage as unacceptable.

“We are deeply saddened by [the] tragic events in Paris, France. These blind, indiscriminate acts of violence deserve nothing but condemnation,” the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said over the weekend.

At least 128 people were killed while 180 were wounded when gunmen simultaneously attacked 6 locations, including a concert hall, in the Paris suburbs on Friday, November 13.

The terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) owned up to the attacks.

“This is unacceptable. The MILF rejects such acts of terror against humanity and all peace-loving peoples,” the group said.

World leaders, the Pope, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III have condemned the attacks. (READ: World mourns, condemns attacks in Paris)

The MILF was once accused by the Philippine military of providing havens for radical Muslim organizations with links to the Al-Qaeda such as the Jemaah Islamiya and local extremist groups such as Abu Sayyaf.

In March 2014, it entered into a peace agreement with the Philippine government after 17 years of peace negotiations, ending more than 4 decades of violent wars in several southern provinces of Mindanao. In its website www.luwaran.com, the MILF said ISIS has been denounced by Muslim scholars as non-Islamic.

The MILF added that their “thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

It continued: “May we all find our way through these troubled times and emerge with a stronger resolve to pursue peace for all peoples in all parts of the world.

“We take this opportunity also to condemn in same strong terms the violence against civilians in Palestine, in Myanmar, and elsewhere in the world,” the group said. – Rappler.com