Fierce and Formidable Moro Warriors of Mindanao
In the early 1900s, U.S. forces battled the Philippines' fiercely independent Islamic Moros.
This is a history of an obscure colonial war in which both sides fought bravely, suffered cruelly, often behaved horribly and accomplished little.

Called Moros by the Spanish because they reminded Europeans of Muslim, Moroccan Moors, the Moro tribes occupied—and still occupy—Mindanao, the second largest Philippine island. They were accomplished seafarers, to whom piracy and slavery seemed natural rights, and their small, speedy ships were remarkably elusive. Ruled by local Datus whose arbitrary decisions were law, Moro tribes were rivals who often engaged in internecine warfare. The Spaniards had never been able to pacify, much less govern, those keen warriors, not even on the much smaller islands of the Sulu Archipelago.

At the end of the 19th century, the Moros numbered about 265,000 while their Christian neighbors on Mindanao counted only 65,000. Each group had a very low opinion of the other. Spaniards and Filipino Christians saw the Moros as cruel, cunning and treacherous raiders and slavers, whereas the Moros viewed the Christians primarily as land-thieves, bullies and cowards, who were changing the Moro way of life, one they had held for centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Mutual revulsion between the Islamic Moros of the southern Philippines and the Western world goes back a long way. For more than two centuries, Spain attempted unsuccessfully to subjugate the fanatical Muslim Moros, who average slightly over 5 feet in height. Spanish soldiers had been captured by the Moros, dragged into the jungle and tortured for hours on end, finally dying in utter agony over a slow fire after being emasculated. Add to that the Moro practices of polygamy, piracy and slavery.

The Spanish-American War, 1898

On April 25, 1898 the United States declared war on Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. Spain was by this time a decaying, weak empire, and no match for a vigorous, muscular American military kept in shape by killing American Indians. On May 1, 1898, U.S. ships sent from Hong Kong to the Philippines, won the Battle of Manila Bay. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898. As a result Spain lost it's control over the remains of it's overseas empire; Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and Spain agreed to sell the Philippines to the United States for the sum of $20 million. The Moros expected independence after America defeated Spain in 1898. The fighting largely spared Mindanao and surrounding southern islands, inhabited by Moros. Preoccupied American forces left the Moros alone until matters were settled in the north.

Moro Rebellion

America’s first jungle war remains largely unknown, except in the Philippines where it began in 1900. Even those rare Americans who have heard of the U.S. jungle war against the Moros often connect it erroneously with the Philippine Insurrection. The Moro people resisted U.S. invasion of the island of Mindanao, Philippines, with such courage and bravery such as in the Battles of Bud Bagsak and Bud Dajo, that the armed resistance to U.S. occupation was extended till 1913 (though the U.S. officially declared the "Philippine Insurrection" terminated by 1902). The Moro resistance to both Spanish and U.S. colonization is often downplayed by official historical accounts.

Until the spring of 1902, the Americans were not seriously involved except by the sudden, frightening attacks of individual Amoks and Juramentado. An amok was a Moro who, for a variety of personal reasons, went berserk and tried to kill as many of the enemy as possible before meeting his own, expected death. Juramentados were perhaps even deadlier, since they were religiously motivated, swore a formal oath before the proper Muslim authority to attack anybody considered to be a foe of Islam, and always struck when and where least expected. Although certain of their own extinction, those fanatics were secure in their belief that they would be whisked to the Muslim paradise for their valorous self-sacrifice. Both Amoks and Juramentados attacked with the Malay Kriss, a wavy-edged sword, in length halfway between a long dagger and a saber and easily disguised under their clothes. In addition, they were deadly with a blowgun and poison darts, and were quite good with their muzzleloading rifles.

Malay Kriss

Kriss Collection

Into this slowly boiling pot, in the spring of 1902, the U.S. military command sent 40-year-old Captain John Pershing, a West Point veteran of Indian fighting in the United States. He believed that the Moros were savages who respected nothing but force. But the Mindanaos took to sniping and cutting telegraph wires. In response Pershing attacked Bayan. Every Moro settlement of any size was defended by a Cota, a fort made of bamboo and mud 75 to 100 feet square, with walls 12 to 21 inches thick. Cotas were usually surrounded by trenches 5 to 30 feet deep, in front of which the Moros often planted loosely covered sharpened stakes to further inhibit attackers. Cotas were also defended by Lantakas, small, artistically made brass cannons. At Bayan, the Americans set the pattern for all ensuing clashes with the Moros—a light artillery bombardment, which was typically both deadly and decisive, followed by a charge through what was left of the enemies’ defenses. The Sultan of Sulu warned, “Americans,” he said, “were like a match box. If you strike one they all go off!”

Pershing’s successor was Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood. General Wood thought the Moros were an excessively brave but depraved race of pirates, bandits and outlaws. They were “stupid fighters, utterly unable to stand up in the open....Their strong point was attempted ambush…though brave, they die foolishly....they should attack at night en masse where their dexterity with swords and spears would count most.” The only way to handle Moros was to be just and firm: “Every concession to them is a mistake.”

The American position in the Philippines was not to destroy the Moros, but intended instead to suppress piracy, eliminate the slave trade, prevent intertribal war and bring the “natives” into the modern world. But piracy, slavery and fighting were as much a part of the Moro way of life as was Islam. The Moros saw those well-meant but abrupt changes as threatening to their religion and their social fabric.

One of the bloodiest battles of the whole Moro experience occurred near Jolo City in March 1906, when the Moros there made a determined stand in the crater of an extinct volcano, Bud Dajo. In what came to be known as the “Battle of the Clouds” because it was fought largely at an elevation of 2,000 feet, the Americans launched a heavy bombardment followed by an assault over fallen trees and around huge boulders. American casualties were 21 killed and 73 wounded, against the more than 600 Moros dead, some of them women dressed as men.

Pershing left in 1903, but returned in 1909 as governor. He supported reforms but chafed at the persistent disorder. His solution was to disarm everyone. He proceeded with his usual efficiency and made great use of the native constabulary. Much bloodshed followed, but he ultimately succeeded.

June 1913, when the Moros challenged their enemies at Bud Bagsak in what would be the ultimate battle of the American experience in Moro territory. Although the 6,000 to 10,000 Moros engaged were the greatest concentration the Americans ever faced in the Philippines, the Moros lost to superior weaponry, with at least 500 killed.

The Malay Moros  -  Mindanao, Philippines . . circa 1900

The Moros, a Malay Muslim warrior elite, in 1900 numbered 300,000 persons and controlled Mindanao, the second largest of the Philippine Islands, together with a scattering of smaller islands to the south and west of Mindanao known as the Sulu Archipelago. Culturally, the Moros are Malays, mixed with the blood of negro slaves, Filipino Tribal Hillmen, Chinese, and Dyak pirates and the result is a unique and ferociously independent people. Polygamy and slaveholding were significant parts of Moro culture in 1900. All a Moro wanted was to be left alone to rob, plunder and fight. The Moro philosophy,  "That he should take who has the power, and he should keep who can."

Those who denied him these "rights" were his enemies, and the Moro knew how to deal with an enemy in only one way. If the Americans wanted to abolish slavery let them come and try. The Moros were prepared to fight these new invaders as they had first fought the Spaniards nearly 400 years before. As General Pershing wrote in 1913, while still a captain in the Philippines. . . "The Moro is not at all over-awed or impressed by an overwhelming force. If he takes a notion to fight, it is regardless of the number of men he thinks are to be brought against him. You cannot bluff him!"

The Moro's only real allegiance, besides his religion, was to his "Datu" or chieftain. These Datus ruled as feudal pirate princelings from numerous fortified "Cottas" (villages) scattered throughout their island domains. The Datus in turn recognized a general advisory authority in the Sultan of Sulu. The cottas were heavily fortified, sometimes built of stone, and bristling with old Spanish cannon and brass wall-guns known as "Lantakas". From these strongholds a Datu would lead his warriors forth in raids upon his neighbors (who were in turn raiding him), or on any unwary travelers or foolish foreign interlopers. Warfare was a fact of everyday life for the Moro. He was proud, vain, and fearless. And war was more than just a mere pastime. It often had religious overtones.

The Moros as Muslims believed that one who takes the life of an infidel increases his own rewards in paradise. From time to time a Moro desiring a short road to glory would bathe in a sacred stream or spring, shave off his eyebrows, and after dressing all in white would take a holy oath before the village priest to die killing infidels. Such a "Juramentado" (From the Spanish for one who has taken an oath) then hid a Kriss or Barong under his clothes and sought the nearest infidel.

The weapons and physique of the Moros were particularly suited to the slash and hack school of combat. Moro men were of medium height, and their physical development was often superb. They dressed in tight pants or pantaloons, vest, jacket, sash and small tight turban. Chain Mail and plumed helmets were also worn widely, especially by Datus. It was common practice for warriors to don black trousers for fighting. All males age 16 or older went about armed constantly. The Moros made their own steel weapons, which were often beautifully finished, and always admirably adapted to the purpose for which they were intended. For deadly serious fighting the Moro could carry a large, painted circular shield of lightwood or a lance. Tactics were simple; ambush and rush. Once close enough to use his weapons a Moro was nearly unstoppable.

In close combat they usually trusted to a "Barong", a weapon somewhat like a butcher's meat cleaver with a thick back and a razor thin cutting edge. Normally only about 16-18" long, it was capable of inflicting fearful injuries. To lop off a head, arm, or leg with a barong was merely child's play. The strong and skillful warrior prided himself on being able to halve an opponent with a single blow.

The straight "Kriss" was a narrow bladed, 2-edge sword used for cutting and thrusting. The "Serpent Kriss" with its wavy double-edged blade was used for thrusting and inflicting a horrible wound. The Serpent Kriss was the classic Malay weapon.

Finally, Moros not infrequently used a straight edged, two-handed sword known as a "Campilan." The blade was wide at the tip and narrowed steadily towards the hilt. It was used with great effect for cutting and hacking.

The Moro seldom succeeded to obtain firearms. Guns ranged from antique matchlocks and trade muskets to captured Remingtons, Mausers, Springfields and Krags. Ammunition was scarce. Colonial authorities severely restricted the supply and ownership of firearms by any Filipino. Gunrunning was a very serious offense.                                                          

When President Theodore Roosevelt declared the Philippines War officially over on July 4, 1902, the proclamation's second preamble contained a caveat. The war was done, it stated, "except in the country inhabited by the Moro tribes."

During its campaign against the Moros, the U.S. Army adopted the Colt .45 Model 1911 semiautomatic pistol after American soldiers found that the .38 caliber Long Colt and Smith and Wesson revolvers they had previously used were unable to stop the fierce Moro Warriors of the Southern Philippines. Eyewitness accounts describe Moros continuing to kill American soldiers with their Barongs and Kriss after receiving multiple rounds from the .38 pistols and .30 caliber rifles.

Realizing the Moro was tougher than any opponent previously encountered, the Army requested guns with more “knocking power” to physically shock and immobilize their opponents.

The 1911 .45 Auto Pistol was designed by John M. Browning

In response to problems encountered by American units fighting Moro tribesman during the Philippine-American War, the then-standard Colt M1892 revolver, was found to be unsuitable for the rigors of jungle warfare, particularly in terms of stopping power, as the Moros had very high battle morale and frequently used drugs to inhibit the sensation of pain. To prepare for battle, the Moro fighter would bind their limbs with leather, take narcotics, and use religious ritual to gain an altered state of consciousness, which turned them into almost unstoppable fighters. The Colt pistol round the U.S. soldiers used simply would not stop the Moro fanatic. The Krag rifles the U.S. soldiers carried were barely more effective.

The new weapon design process to replace the .38 started in 1906. On March 29th, 1911, the Browning designed, Colt produced, 45 Automatic Pistol, was selected as the official sidearm of the Armed Forces of the U.S.A., named Model 1911. Browning's pistols passed a test series, and it was the first firearm to undergo such a test, firing continuously 6000 cartridges. The Browning design for the US Military pistol trials was a magazine fed, gas operated, semi-automatic pistol. Browning earned the lasting reputation as “The Father of Automatic Fire.” Browning’s design genius was not limited to pistols. Among his other military inventions were the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), numerous .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns, etc..

It has been to war for over 100 years

John Pershing wrote of the Moros: "The only principle for which they fought was the right to pillage and murder without molestation from the government."

Philippines Launches Air Attack on Moro Rebels

October 24th, 2011

MANILA: The Philippines launched its first air strikes in three years against Muslim separatist rebels in the restless south, after a series of attacks that left 35 people dead, the military said. Two OV-10 attack planes bombed a remote village on the edge of Payao town on Mindanao island, where Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels have been entrenched since last week, army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc said. The 12,000-strong MILF has waged a rebellion since the 1970s in Mindanao, the country's southern third, which the minority Muslims consider their ancestral homeland.

And while the government has been involved in peace talks with the rebel leadership since 2003 and the two sides are currently observing a ceasefire, the group targeted in the bombing was a breakaway faction.

"The bombing attacks began at 11.30 am," Cabunoc said. "About 100 heavily armed bandits are holed up in their bunkers and running trenches." There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the military said about 3,000 civilians had already fled the area last week. He said a combined contingent of 200 police and military commandos on the ground were also involved in the operation. Regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said the gunmen targeted by the air strikes were rogue MILF rebels who were involved in kidnapping and other criminal activities. The same group of rebels was blamed for ambushes that killed four soldiers and four policemen.

Those attacks came just two days after 19 special forces were gunned down by MILF fighters after they strayed into rebel territory on Basilan island, also in Mindanao. Five rubber plantation workers and three soldiers meanwhile were killed in separate attacks, while 200 rebels also occupied two elementary schools in remote farming villages, stealing cattle and harassing residents.

In the wake of the attacks, President Benigno Aquino has come under increasing pressure from restive military officers and critics to suspend its ceasefire. British ambassador Stephen Lillie called on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front  to order its commanders to silence their guns. "I am seriously concerned by the reports of ambushes by members in different parts of Mindanao over the past week," Lillie said in a statement. "The current spate of ambushes must stop," he added. But he warned that meeting violence with violence could "likely lead to a downward spiral of killing, with untold misery and suffering for innocent civilians".

More than 30 years of fighting have claimed about 150,000 lives and stunted efforts to develop the mineral-rich southern region. A ceasefire signed in 2003 paved the way for peace talks between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front  and the government, but the truce is often marred by violence and the talks are currently at an impasse.

Murad Ibrahim, Chairmen of the Southern Philippine Moro Islamic Liberation Front

Phillippine Army - Mindanao

B'laan Tribesmen Perform Traditional Moro Victory Dance

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Moro National Liberation Front
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Moro Abu Sayyaf

"Moro National Liberation Front"  Rally

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