Camp Abubakar Explained

Camp Iranun
Location:Barira, Maguindanao del Norte
Country:the Philippines
Alt2:Location map of Camp Iranun in Mindanao, Philippines
Pushpin Map:Mindanao#Philippines
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Label:Camp Iranun
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Camp Iranun
Type:Army base
Site Area:13,000 hectares[1]
Ownership: Philippines
Built:1980s
Builder:Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Used:1980s– (by MILF)
2000–present (by Philippine Army)
Fate:Captured by the Philippine Army during the Battle of Camp Abubakar; renamed Camp Iranun and converted to Philippine Army use
Battles:Battle of Camp Abubakar
Events:2000 Philippine campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Garrison:37th Infantry Battalion

Camp Iranun is a Philippine Army military base located in Barira, Maguindanao del Norte, Philippines. It is named after the Iranun people, a Moro ethnic group native to the area encompassing the boundaries of Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Lanao del Sur and North Cotabato provinces.[2]

Camp Iranun was once known as Camp Abubakar al Siddique, the largest Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp, its largest settlement as well as the seat of its Shariah-based government.[3] It was captured by government forces during the 2000 Philippine campaign against the MILF. Camp Abubakar had been named after Abu Bakr, a Sahabi and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

As Camp Abubakar

Camp Abubakar was established in the 1980s by Salamat Hashim, after he and his comrades Murad Ebrahim and Mohagher Iqbal, broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front and Nur Misuari.[1] Camp Abubakar covered approximately forty square miles and included a mosque, a madrasah, commercial and residential areas, a weapons factory, a solar energy system, and segments of seven different villages,[4] including portions of the towns of Matanog, Barira, Buldon and Parang in Maguindanao province.[5]

Salamat Hashim, then-Chairman of the MILF, resided in a bungalow inside the camp itself, while Murad Ebrahim, then-MILF military chief had his office in the town of Matanog. Camp Abubakar was a self-sufficient entity; agricultural produce from the surrounding farms sustained the MILF fighters garrisoned in the camp. It had small businesses and public markets, and residents paid a tax to the MILF.[5]

Philippine Army garrison

The Philippine Army's 603rd Infantry Brigade garrisoned Camp Iranun after the 2000 military campaign.[3] The camp served as the brigade's headquarters until June 2015, when the unit relocated to Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. The Philippine Army's 37th Infantry Battalion then garrisoned Camp Iranun.[1]

During the Presidency of Benigno Aquino III, Camp Iranun was considered as a possible storage depot for decommissioned firearms surrendered by the MILF as part of a peace deal being negotiated with the government as part of the Bangsamoro peace process.[6] [7]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Unson . John . Army pulls out of MILF's Camp Abubakar after more than a decade . . 30 June 2015 . 10 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160924064337/http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/06/30/1471777/army-pulls-out-milfs-camp-abubakar-after-more-decade . 24 September 2016 . dead .
  2. Web site: Cabrera . Ferdinandh B. . Army builds "bridges of peace" between warring Iranun clans . 13 September 2016.
  3. News: Bagaoisan . Andrew Jonathan . Throwback: The fall of Camp Abubakar . . 9 July 2015 . 9 September 2016.
  4. Web site: Stanford University . Stanford University . Mapping Militant Organizations: Moro Islamic Liberation Front . 9 September 2016.
  5. News: Gallardo . Froilan . Revisiting Camp Abubakar, ten years later . MindaNews . 9 July 2010 . 10 September 2016.
  6. News: Casauay . Angela . MILF firearms to be stored in Camp Abubakar? . . 21 January 2015 . 10 September 2016.
  7. News: Cabrera . Ferdinadh B. . MILF's Camp Abubakar eyed as arms storage facility during decommissioning process . MindaNews . 21 January 2015 . 14 September 2016.