MAF team departs for Philippines on March 6 to monitor ceasefire with MILF

IMT plays an important role in monitoring ceasefire between the Philippine Government and the MILF. Source: Rappler

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian International Monitoring Team - Mindanao 11 (IMT–M11) will depart for Mindanao in the Philippines on March 6 and 13 to continue monitoring and overseeing the ceasefire between the Philippines government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) chief Jen Tan Sri Roslan Saad told a press conference on March 4 that the team, comprising of 16 personnel will be in Mindanao for 12 months.

"The sending of IMT-M11 is a continuation of the IMT-M10 which has been serving there for 12 months since March 14, 2015.

Remember Jabidah Massacre? Historical Marker Unveiled in Corregidor 47 Years After

The Mindanao Garden of Peace, a memorial for the Moro soldiers killed in the Jabidah massacre, in Kindley Airfield, Corregidor. TRICIA AQUINO/InterAksyon.com

CORREGIDOR ISLAND, Philippines -- On 18 March 1968, between 14 and 200 young Moro soldiers secretly trained to retake Sabah were massacred here. The tragedy served as a catalyst of the Moro independence movement in Mindanao with the establishment of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), triggering decades of internal conflict.

On Wednesday, 47 years after the largely forgotten tragedy, a historical marker commemorating their sacrifice was unveiled.