Villagers flee new clash of MILF men

A FAMILIAR scene in communities caught in the crossfire of clan wars and clashes between rival Moro rebel leaders unfolds in Sultan Kudarat where some residents board a dump truck to flee attacks by renegade Moro rebels. JEOFFREY MAITEM/INQUIRER MINDANAO

KIDAPAWAN CITY—At least 100 families fled their homes in Pikit, North Cotabato province,  when followers of two feuding Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders clashed on Thursday, police reported.

Senior Insp. Sindatu Karim, Pikit town police chief, said the clash started when the group of Commander Ricky Husain—backed by Commander Mokamad Andoy—attacked the forces of Commander Bhoto Mantol in the boundary of Barangays Talitay and Bulod.

The three commanders are relatives, Karim said, but they have been locked in a long-running feud. He did not say when and how the feud started.

“It’s a family matter,” he said.

Karim said the two groups clashed for about 20 minutes but there had been no reports of any casualty from either side yet.

Terrified residents of the two villages, however, fled to safety and had sought refuge in houses of relatives living in other village and in village halls.

He said police and the military have sent forces to prevent the hostilities from spreading to other villages. Williamor A. Magbanua, Inquirer Mindanao