Maguindanao clan warfare leads to 6 deaths

COTABATO CITY—At least six people have been killed, some of them simply caught in the crossfire,  in a two-day flareup of violence between members of two warring clans with links to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, officials said.

Soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 68th Infantry Battalion have been deployed in nearby municipality of Talitay to prevent an escalation of hostilities between armed followers of Talitay Mayor Montasir Sabal and those of Haron Buisan, head of the MILF’s 105th base command. Both clans have members in the MILF or have relatives in the Moro rebel group now negotiating peace with the government.

The new flareup of violence started on Thursday when three security men of Mayor Sabal, who is currently on a pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, were killed in an ambush on a road leading to the Talitay town proper.

Talitay Vice Mayor Allan Sabal blamed Buisan’s group for the ambush in which two more of Sabal’s bodyguard were wounded.

Sabal’s followers retaliated and engaged the men they suspected of being behind the ambush in a series of skirmishes that sent hundreds of ordinary civilians fleeing their homes.

Three civilians were killed and three others, including two minors, were wounded when gunmen ambushed a privately owned pick-up truck transporting fleeing civilians on Friday morning, police said.

Chief Inspector Freddie Solar, Talitay police chief, identified two of the fatalities as Nords Ali and Andi Salanggao, both civilians. Two of the wounded were identified as Dagadas Salanggao and Kinao Ali Pasawilan.

Because of the conflict, the local office of the Commission on Elections has suspended  the filing of certificates of candidacy for the barangay elections slated on October 28. The last day of filing of candidacies is on October 18.

Talitay election officer Mary Ann Mangudadatu said her office would accept certificates of candidacy when things return to normal in Talitay.

Solar said both the Sabal and Buisan families were locked in a long-standing family feud which he said were due to politics. They are both affiliated with the MILF.

Von Al Haq, speaking for the MILF’s military arm, said it had taken measures to “disengage” the warring clans and ensure the security of civilians.

He appealed to the military not to intervene as the problem was being looked into by the government’s and MILF’s joint ceasefire committee.