The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is a splinter of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Hashim Salamat, a former second-in-command for MNLF, created the MILF after the failure of a 1977 agreement between MNLF and the Philippine government.

The Philippines. The rebels are primarily concentrated in the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and North Cotabato. The largest concentration of MILF forces is in central Mindanao.

The MILF operated some 46 bases on the island of Mindanao until an August 2000 offensive pushed the rebels into the jungle. This fighting also forced the group to abandon Abu Bakr, located between Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur. The region included military camps for training rebel fighters and civilian-populated areas governed according to Islamic sharia law.

The MILF seeks an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines. However, MILF has expressed interest in increased autonomy for southern regions and has negotiated toward that end with the Philippine government, promising to pursue secession peacefully and legally.

The MILF-envisioned independent Islamic state would include all of Sulu and Mindanao. The group has also suggested it would accept self-determination for Muslim-majority areas.

The MILF, according to a January 2005 estimate by the Philippine armed forces (AFP), possessed fewer than 9,000 firearms for a combatant force of between 11,000 and 12,000. Western estimates of MILF strength range somewhat higher, at about 15,000 men and 11,000 firearms. Both estimates are lower than the 20,000 members claimed by the rebel group.

MILF numbers and arms decreased slightly between 2004 and 2005, according to the Philippine military. During this period, the rebel group's strength slipped from about 12,100 to 11,100 and its stockpile of arms reportedly dropped from about 8,800 pieces to 8,200.

In 2005, MILF recruited 4,000 fighters and conducted 80 military-type exercises, according to Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, the deputy chief of the armed forces. The MILF continues to recruit, train and equip more forces, according to the AFP, despite a cease-fire.

Financial support for MILF comes from a variety of sources, including "revolutionary taxes," donations from local farmers and money wired from Australia, Europe and the United States. Criminal activities such as kidnapping and extortion also play an important role in funding MILF activities.

MILF received some support in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 1980s, when several hundred recruits were allowed to train in those countries. When the MILF first split from its parent organization, the MNLF, the group established its base of operations in Pakistan.

The MILF may also have developed contacts with Al-Qaida leaders, as indicated by an alleged June 2000 meeting between Ayman al-Zawahiri and Mohammed Atef in Indonesia. The group has avoided attacks on U.S. interests and denied having ties to Al-Qaida. MILF condemned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. MILF has maintained its focus on its immediate goals in the southern Philippines.

The Indonesian Islamic Liberation Front has trained with MILF, as indicated by recovered Indonesian passports and other documents in a 2000 raid on Abu Bakr. MILF has been tied to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) through an Indonesian explosives expert named Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi. Al-Ghozi, close to JI's operations chief Isamuddin Riduan, trained MILF rebels in explosives use from 1996 to 2000.

The Philippine government has accused MILF of harboring Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf militants. The group routinely denies those allegations.

In the 1980s, MILF low-intensity activity was aimed at government security forces. In the early 1990s, the group expanded its operations to include attacks on Christian communities and government officials. MILF rebels began carrying out murders among Christian populations and committed arson against churches. In 2000, the group murdered 13 Christian farm workers and wounded 14 others traveling on a bus.

There were also several attacks against mass media outlets in 2000. Few casualties were reported.

The MILF often conducts raids on police and military forces to increase its supply of arms. Communications between members are conducted via a wide array of technologies, including mobile phones, email, short-wave radio and couriers.

The armed activity by the guerrilla group has varied over the years in response to the progress of peace talks with the Philippine government.

In the 1960s, the separatist movement in the southern Philippines gained strength with the creation of the MNLF, and by 1971 the movement had emerged as the largest insurgent group in the Philippines. Fighting between government and Moro forces continued through the mid-1970s, until the December 1976 "Tripoli Agreement." This accord called for the end of fighting, the creation of 14 autonomous Muslim provinces in the southern Philippines and the implementation of Islamic law in those regions.

Christians on Mindanao opposed the agreement and President Ferdinand Marcos did not carry through with all of its terms. A resumption of fighting between Philippine and rebel forces in 1977 fractured the rebel movement and helped create the MILF.

MILF is headed by an executive branch that makes policy. Regional committees implement those decisions. MILF runs an Islamic court that decides civil and criminal cases. A legislative branch, Majlis al-Shura, was created in 1991.

The armed wing of MILF -- the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) -- has its own organizational structure, including guerrilla, local and regular armed units. On Mindanao, the BIAF divides its forces into six territorial units, with about as many brigades. Special operations are conducted by forces located outside this hierarchy.

Significant individuals in the MILF organization include: Mohagher Iqbal, lead negotiator with the Philippine government; Von Al Haq, chairman of a MILF committee for hostility cessation; Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman; and Muhammed Ameen, group secretary.

Since early 2000, the Philippine government has inked several cease-fire agreements with MILF. After one of the earliest such deals, peace broke down by May 2000 and the military began a four-month campaign against the group. By July, the military had captured Abu Bakr and most other MILF camps on Mindanao. About 100-300 rebels were killed during the fighting, with most fleeing into the jungle.

There was a renewed military offensive in early 2005 against MILF and related groups such as the Pentagon Gang.

The warring parties again agreed to halt fighting in July 2003, thanks to Malaysian mediation efforts. Further talks were held in Kuala Lumpur, beginning in October 2003. A year later, Malaysia and Brunei sent teams to Mindanao to monitor the cease-fire between MILF and the military.

Talks between the Philippine government and MILF have produced significant progress. For instance, the MILF has begun to assist the military with hunting down terrorist groups co-located in the southern Philippines. In April 2005, the military asked MILF for help in capturing 53 wanted terrorist suspects, allegedly members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), JI and the Pentagon Gang.

Zachary Abuza, a southeast Asian security expert, has argued that the ongoing peace process between MILF and the Philippine government is crucial to prevent further Moro radicalization and the fracturing of the organization that could lead many members to embrace the more radical JI.

The U.S. has stepped up its aid in impoverished MILF areas in an attempt to prevent splintering as peace talks continue. As a final agreement approached, there has been concern that some members would join other terrorist groups such as the Misuari Renegade Group (MRG) or ASG.

As negotiations resumed in the summer of 2006, MILF formally renounced its desire for an independent Islamic state. In exchange, the group was promised "enhanced" and "meaningful" autonomy, including the right to establish sharia courts, greater fiscal independence and control over resources such as oil and natural gas.

However, the parties still cannot agree where to draw the borders for such an autonomous zone. MILF argues that communities where Muslims are the majority should be incorporated. This would be more than 400 villages beyond the 613 identified by the government in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and Davao Oriental provinces.

Another unresolved issue is how the old Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) agreement with the MNLF -- dating back to 1996 -- will affect a new agreement with MILF.

The prospects for an agreement between the government and the MILF remained elusive in the late spring of 2009. Violent incidents continued. Some of these attacks have been attributed to rogue groups, although analysts contend they are, at least, tacitly approved by the group.

October: Two foreign fighters who had trained in MILF camps attacked the Philippine army's 6th Division headquarters at Camp Siongco, near Cotabato City. Three Philippine soldiers were killed and 10 civilians were wounded.

July 16: Terrorists exploded a bomb in the Christian town of Kabacan in North Cotabato, killing two people and wounding 33 others. Investigators said MILF was likely responsible.

July: A major military offensive against MILF rebels in Mindanao resulted in the capture of Abu Bakr and other significant rebel camps by government forces.

Dec. 30: Six blasts in Manila killed 22 people and injured about 100. The bombs used ammonium nitrate. Investigators suspected MILF was responsible. In May 2003, a terrorist named Saifulla Unos, connected to MILF and linked to Al-Qaida, admitted leading the attacks. Other terrorists implicated in these attacks were members of JI.

February: Arroyo announced a unilateral halt to hostilities with MILF.

March: Manila and MILF reached a framework agreement for peace, following secret talks in Kuala Lumpur between government representative Eduardo Ermita and the MILF vice chairman for military affairs, Al Haj Murad Ibrahim.

Sept. 2: The governor of Maguindanao, Andal Ampatuan, was attacked by gunmen believed to belong to MILF. Seven security personnel were injured.

Dec. 29: Suspected MILF gunmen attacked the village of Naga on Mindanao. Pursued by government forces, the terrorists killed 10 of their hostages.

Dec. 24: A remotely controlled bomb exploded outside the home of Mayor Saudie Ampatuan in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, killing the mayor and 12 others. The bomb was an 81-mm mortar placed in a plastic bag with nails, wires and a large quantity of ammonium nitrate. The Philippine military subsequently deployed several hundred troops to the area.

Dec. 31: A MILF member threw a grenade at a plaza in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat. Nine people were killed and 35 injured.

Feb. 20: A van filled with explosives blew up outside the Cotabato airport. At least one person died and five were injured in the attack. Authorities believe MILF was responsible.

Feb. 21: Two bombs exploded in South Cotabato outside a commercial center. Two people were injured, as well as the suspected bomber. The first bomb was a mortar shell with a timing device attached to the exhaust pipe of a car. The second bomb was a 81-mm mortar shell, also found underneath a parked vehicle.

March 4: A bomb hidden in a backpack exploded at the Davao airport, killing 24 people (including one American) and injuring at least 100. MILF and JI were both suspected of perpetrating this attack. One suspect, arrested in June 2005, said he was a liasion with JI.

April 2: A bomb detonated at a passenger terminal at the SasaWharf exploded, killing 16 people and injuring 55 others.

May 5: Terrorists fired an M-79 grenade launcher at a gymnasium in Cotabato City. Six evacuees located at the site were wounded.

July: MILF chairman Hashim Salamat died and was succeeded by his deputy, Al Haj Murad Ibrahim. The same month, Manila and MILF signed a cease-fire assisted by Malaysian mediation.

October: Talks were held in Kuala Lumpur, as the rebels and Philippine government sought continued Malaysian participation in the peace process.

December: Libyan personnel joined the cease-fire monitoring team.

Dec. 22: The Philippine government and MILF announced they had formed a joint organization. This Ad Hoc Joint Action Group vowed to eliminate criminal elements and terrorist organizations -- such as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) -- from the southern Philippines.

April 18-20: Formal talks between the MILF and Philippine government continued in Kuala Lumpur aimed at establishing autonomy for Muslims in the southern Philippines. On April 20, the parties announced they had reached a breakthrough.

Nov. 8: The brother of a MILF spokesman was shot in a drug raid, complicating a 10th round of talks between the government and MILF. That round of discussions made little progress.

March 7: Mardizon Abedin, the village chairman of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, was shot and killed in Maguindanao province by suspected members of MILF.

Aug. 10: The MILF killed two policemen while the officers were searching for two members of JI.

Aug. 28: Security forces arrested three MILF members boarding a ferry headed for Manila from the Maguindanao region. The men were found carrying two homemade bombs. Local police claimed the individuals were a MILF special operations group and had admitted to be preparing to conduct attacks in the capital.

Sept. 4: The Philippine government and MILF resumed formal peace talks, but progress was slow. Which lands should be considered "ancestral," and thus autonomous Moro territory, continued to frustrate negotiations.

Jan. 25: A senior MILF commander survived an assassination attempt in Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Sharif Kabungsuan. Adan Abdullah had emerged from a closed door meeting when two gunmen opened fire on his pickup truck, hitting him in the chest and arm.

Feb. 19: Two MILF guerrillas were reported killed in a clash with government forces in Midsayap, North Cotabato. 

March: The Philippine government offered to recognize the right of self-determination for the Moros in the south. The offer was unprecedented in more than 30 years of strife between the Moros and the government.

April 25: Military reportedly discovered a plot by MILF to disrupt the Palarong Pambansa games in South Cotabato. Army forces in the area tightened security in Koronadal City and 11 other major cities in eastern Mindanao.

July 12: During a search for Rev. Giancarlo Bossi, an Italian priest kidnapped in the Basilan area of the southern Philippines, 14 marines were killed by Islamic militants. MILF conceded that some of its members were involved in the conflict, but the group denied that it was involved in the beheading of 10 marines. MILF noted that at the time it was involved in peace talks with the government.

July 19: Kidnappers released Bossi despite the fact that no ransom was paid for the priest. Bossi indicated that members of the Abu Sayyaf militant group were his kidnappers, while other officials blamed a rogue faction of MILF for the abduction. MILF contended that the marines' deaths were unnecessary because the group told the military that the priest was not in the Basilan area but the information was ignored.

Nov. 16: The government reached a tentative agreement with MILF for establishing a Muslim homeland in the southern Mindanao region. The accord was reached after two days of talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Dec. 15: MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) agreed to resolve their differences by September of 2008. The competing groups reached an agreement brokered by Seif al-Islam Qaddafi, a son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. The two groups had differed over the boundaries of an autonomous territory for Muslims, complicating the peace process in the southern Philippines.

June 26: MILF militants launched attacks on government forces near the village of Maitum. The military denied that militants hit an army truck with a rocket-propelled grenade, but acknowledged that 50 insurgents attacked an army detachment in Ticulab, killing a civilian volunteer. The army sent armored units and others to reinforce its positions.

July: Government negotiators said they had reached an agreement with MILF rebels on the expansion of a Muslim autonomous region in the south.

Aug. 8: The Supreme Court of the Philippines issued a temporary restraining order that prevented the government from signing the peace agreement with MILF. The court upheld objections from two southern provinces that challenged the extended boundaries for the "Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao" as declared in the peace deal. The agreement would have granted autonomy to MILF with the right to establish a police force and control the abundant natural resources in the region. As a result of the court ruling, the government froze talks with the MILF and voided the peace agreement.

Aug. 25: In the wake of the failed peace accord, a Philippine military official said the government would continue its campaign until the capture of three rebel leaders accused of attacks on Christian communities. The army reported that it had killed 150 militants and had overrun 15 militant camps in four days of fighting. MILF claimed it had killed 13 soldiers and had forced down a military helicopter. One government official said the rebel commanders responsible for the attacks had ties with Jemaah Islamiyah. Another official said that the government was studying the possibility of declaring certain factions to be terrorists. The leadership warned that if MILF elements were labeled as terrorists, the group might leave the peace process.

Sept. 10: The military clashed with 20 to 30 MILF rebels in Maguindanao.

Sept. 18: MILF rebels ambushed an army unit in Lanao del Sur, killing one soldier and wounding eight.

Sept. 25: The army said it had killed 16 MILF rebels in southern Mindanao. MILF denied the report, saying it had killed 20 soldiers. Government officials reported that about 300 people had been killed since fighting renewed in August.

Oct. 7: A wounded Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader and his aide surrendered to the 10th Infantry Division in Kiamba, Sarangani province. Rico Watamama was the deputy commander of the MILF's 107th Base Command. The group said his surrender would not adversely affect its campaign in Sarangani.

Oct. 16: Philippine warplanes killed 13 MILF members and wounded 30 in airstrikes in the Datu Piang region. Ground forces then swept in and secured the area.

Oct. 16: The Supreme Court reinforced its August ruling and declared that the proposed peace agreement was unconstitutional. The court ruled that the government could not amend the constitution to make the peace agreement legal . The Moro Islamic Liberation Front said it would appeal to the international community before considering more talks, indicating that the court ruling had undermined the government's reliability. A top military spokesman said the government was preparing for more attacks by "rogue" elements of MILF.

Oct. 30: The U.S. government expressed concern that the increasingly volatile southern Philippines could revert to its former status as a sanctuary for Al-Qaida affiliates, such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf. A spokesman for the Philippine Embassy in Washington said his government "has not deviated from its commitment of pursuing enduring peace and progress in Mindanao within the framework of Philippine laws and the constitution."

Nov. 10: Two army platoons supported by a pro-government militia fought with about 150 MILF rebels near the village of Sumogot in Lanao del Sur, killing at least 10 militants and wounding 15.

Dec. 7: Five soldiers and five Muslim rebels from Abu Sayyaf and MILF were killed in two separate incidents in Basilan. In the first, a combined force of the Islamists attacked a group of marines, killing five. Two militants were killed. In the second incident, a Philippine airstrike killed three MILF rebels.

Dec. 18: Two bombs exploded in in two crowded shopping centers in Iligan City in the southern Philippines, killing two and wounding 48. The army blamed MILF for the attack; the group denied the charge.

Dec. 23: Rebels in the southern Philippines attacked villages in Sultan Kudarat township, killing nine civilians in what appeared to be an attempt to pressure the government to restart negotiations.

Dec. 24: MILF rebels staged an attack in the town of Alamada, Julkipli Wadi.

March: The director of a negotiating panel said the group was prepared to resume peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Appearing before a House committee, Rafael Sequis said the panel was waiting for an invitation from the Malaysian facilitator to renew talks. He said the panel would renegotiate within all legal and constitutional parameters.

April: The Mindanao Peoples Caucus, a local group acting as a forum in the peace process between MILF and the government, requested that the parties seek the assistance of the European Union. In March 2009 the E.U. adopted a resolution expressing its willingness to facilitate negotiations. The E.U. was concerned with the withdrawal of a Malaysian cease-fire monitoring team.

May 19: The resumption of the stalled peace talks hinged on a resumption of expired ceasefire mechanisms, a MILF spokesman said. He noted it would be difficult to resume negotiations if the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities remained in a dysfunctional state.

May 25: The Organization of Islamic Conference, a group of 56 Islamic states, issued a statement encouraging the Philippine government and the MILF to reach a peace agreement. In a resolution adopted at the OIC meeting in Syria, the group recognized the constitutional issues involved in the process, and urged the parties to build on past achievements. The statement echoed a similar OIC declaration issued in March 2009.

June 8: The Philippine 601st Brigade, 6th Infantry Division, overran the MILF's 105th Base Command, also known as CampBadre, after two days of fighting. Sixteen militants were killed. Another nearby camp was also seized in Talayan, with seven rebels killed.