Battle of Camp Abubakar

Part of the Moro conflict and the 2000 Philippine campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Positions of three Philippine Army brigades and two Philippine Marine Corps brigades in relation to Camp Abubakar's central complex during the sixth day of the battle.

Date	1 July 2000 – 9 July 2000
Location	Barira, Maguindanao, Philippines 7°32′36″N 124°18′40″E / 7.5434°N 124.3111°E / 7.5434; 124.3111Coordinates: 7°32′36″N 124°18′40″E / 7.5434°N 124.3111°E / 7.5434; 124.3111
Result	Decisive Philippine government victory

Belligerents

Republic of the Philippines

Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Commanders and leaders

Joseph Estrada

Diomedio Villanueva

Benjamin Defensor

Elonor Padre

Salamat Hashim

Murad Ebrahim

Units involved

Armed Forces of the Philippines

Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF)

Casualties and losses

12 killed

23 killed

External video
ABS-CBN's Throwback report on the Fall of Camp Abubakar (in Filipino), YouTube video

Armed Forces of the Philippines

The Battle of Camp Abubakar, (codenamed Operation Terminal Velocity) was the final phase of the 2000 Philippine campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which resulted in the capture of Camp Abubakar al Siddique, stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its largest settlement, and seat of its Shariah-based government.

Prior to April 2000, the MILF had been allowed to operate approximately 50 camps that were off limits to government soldiers. When the MILF broke off peace talks, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Army in particular, began attacking and destroying the bases one after the other.

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.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front which had broken away in 1977, initially supported the MNLF during the peace talks that culminated in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. They however, rejected the agreement as inadequate, reiterating a demand for a "Bangsamoro Islamic State", and not just simple political autonomy. That same year, the MILF began informal talks with the government of Fidel V. Ramos. These talks, however, were not pursued and the MILF began recruiting and establishing camps, becoming the dominant Muslim rebel group.

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Wikipedia