Five persons, including a village chair and village
councilman, were wounded when clashes erupted between local village officials
and Moro rebels in a remote village here Wednesday dawn, officials said
Wednesday.
But fighting has settled down after military personnel and
members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) intervened, according to
Lutayan Vice Mayor Ibrahim Macasayon.
"Normalcy has been restored," Macasayon told
reporters Wednesday afternoon of the incident in Barangay Bayasong, Lutayan
town.
Macasayon said the armed conflict, involving Barangay
Bayasong Chairperson Falcon Bansil and Commander Tige Guiamandin of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), erupted at dawn Wednesday when Commander
Pege's men attacked the village
of Bayasong
Land dispute and territorial conflict triggered the
harassment by MILF forces but some reports said the refusal of farmers to shell
out money and farm produce to the Moro rebel group triggered the harassment.
The Lutayan police office identified the wounded victims as
Bayasong Barangay Chairman Falcon Bansil, Barangay Kagawad Botchoy Galando,
Salakib Norodin, Doren Manunutok, both members of Barangay Police Action Team
(BPAT) and unidentified civilians.
The attackers, MILF forces belonging to 109th base command
and based in nearby Buluan, Maguindanao, stormed the barangay hall before
sunrise Wendesday but members of BPAT and Chairperson Bansil engaged the
attackers in an hour-long firefight.
Macasayon said the attackers fled when government forces and
members of the Lutayan Philippine National Police arrived at past 7 a.m.
It was not yet known whether or not the group of Commander
Tige also suffered casualties.
Soldiers and police officers have been deployed in the village
to prevent the resumption of hostilities.
The MILF central committee has also sent emissaries to
mediate in the conflict.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=802284
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