Some 300 members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who were integrated into the Philippine National Police in 1997, were shipped out of Jolo and brought to their barracks in Maguindanao, central Mindanao, yesterday.

Initial investigations said they were behind the killing of a dozen Marines and Scout Rangers during the protest rally for imprisoned MNLF chairman Nur Misuari on January 15.

The policemen, called integrees, left Jolo island on a chartered ferry, the Weesam. They were headed for a police training camp in Maguindanao province, said Regional police commander Acmad Omar.

Regional intelligence chief Senior Supt. Candido Casimiro escorted them and gave them orders to stay inside the barracks until investigations into the bloody fire-fight in Jolo were over.

"We are glad it's finally over. The pull-out of troops was the best solution to ease tension in Jolo," said Omar.

All the Marine soldiers from the Marine Battalion Landing Team 2 and the Scout Rangers who were involved in the two-day mis-encounter, were also pulled out from Jolo, Omar said.

Members of the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) have gone to Jolo to investigate the case.

"Now, all we have to do is to wait for the outcome of the investigations ordered by President Gloria Arroyo," said Omar.

The policemen, members of the Special Mobile Group (SMG), were accused of slaying nine Marines in a fire-fight.

According to the Marines version of the encounter, the policemen, members of the Special Mobile Group, had arrested one Marine carrying a hand grenade during the pro-Misuari rally of January 15. The policemen then opened fire on the Marines who tried to rescue their companion who was then beaten up by pro-Misuari supporters.

The police version said the Marines had opened fire first on pro-Misuari supporters, and the police forces which were guarding the rally retaliated and triggered a fire-fight. The policemen were also accused of ambushing three Army soldiers near Jolo's public market on January 16.

The policemen earlier refused to return to their barracks and threatened to take up arms against the government if they were disarmed and arrested.

They also called for the pull-out of the Marines for fear of the families of the policemen involved would be hunted down by the soldiers, said Congressman Hussin Amin.

Adds Noralyn Mustafa in Jolo: Meanwhile, rumours have been circulating that Misuari's remaining forces, reportedly in alliance with members of the hostage-taking Abu Sayyaf Group, will attack Jolo and hold residents hostage in exchange for the unconditional release of their jailed leader.

The townspeople have braced themselves for renewed hostilities. The reported tactical alliance began when Misuari held a "Bangsamoro congress" and reiterated his bid for a Bangsamoro Republik in Silangkan, Parang, Jolo, in November last year.

Residents have started to flee their homes to hopefully safer areas.

Right now, residents remained puzzled by the two day mis-encounter which happened on the second day of the pro-Misuari rally. It was a scene that struck terror even in the hearts of seasoned photojournalists and reporters.

Photojournalist Dennis Sabangan, who was with the Marines during the January 15 rally, said unidentified persons closed in on him and tried to bar him from taking photos, and grabbed his camera from him. He was saved by a police officer.

Sabangan recently came from a coverage in Afghanistan. He is still asking why were the Scout Rangers cut up when they were already dead?

It was a scene of raw, naked hatred. It brought back images of the so-called Moro "juramentado" who reportedly hacked to pieces any Christian he met for no reason except for being a Christian, said some observers.

Some also asked if that hatred came from a bottomless pit of accumulated rage, dormant for centuries and quickly aroused by a jeep load of Marines allegedly firing into a crowd of Tausugs during the pro-Misuari rally.

Whatever the reason, the bloody mis-encounter is a sign of things to come in Jolo and the rest of Mindanao, many said.