COTABATO CITY ? Residents of the coastal areas in Kalamansig town, Sultan Kudarat province fled anew for fear of more attacks from Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, civilian and military officials said Monday.

Meanwhile, a clash between soldiers and MILF rebels in Maguindanao left two soldiers wounded on Sunday.
Kalamansig Mayor Rolando Garcia said by phone that the still undetermined number of residents had sought refuge in the town center and in nearby Lebak town.
Garcia said the exodus started late last week amid reports of a renewed MILF aggression.

He said the fleeing residents were not taking any chance because of previous experiences.

Garcia said what has been triggering the attacks was some Moro residents claiming lands titled to Christian settlers.

In December, at least six civilians were killed when MILF rebels raided several coastal villages of Kalamansig and Senator Ninoy Aquino towns.

In January, the attack was repeated, prompting the military to conduct a series of air raids. At least 10 rebels were reportedly killed in the said air strikes.

Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton Jr., commander of the Army?s 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao, said he has ordered the deployment of more troops to thwart any attempt by the rebels to attack Kalamansig villages.

Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief, said the offensive by MILF rebels in Sultan Kudarat was not organizational in nature.

He said some members were indeed locked up in land disputes with some residents and this triggered the attacks. ?It?s personal in nature,? he said.

Meanwhile in Maguindanao, government security forces have intensified the manhunt against the group of MILF leader Ombra Kato.
?Two government troops were wounded in a clash Sunday in the marshland of Maguindanao and North Cotabato following the intensified offensive,? said 6th ID spokesperson Col. Jonathan Ponce.

The military believes that Kato?s group also suffered fatalities during the mid-afternoon clash in Barangay Muslim in Datu Piang town but ?we have no body count,? Ponce said.
Kato carries a P10-million bounty for allegedly leading the attacks on civilian communities in North Cotabato starting in July last year.

At least 10 civilians were killed in the attacks that were allegedly triggered by the government?s refusal to sign the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD).

The MOA-AD, which would have given the MILF larger territory under an autonomous government, was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.