Hundreds of families flee MILF ‘infighting’ in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 23): Hundreds of families flee MILF ‘infighting’ in Maguindanao

Hundreds of Moro families have fled to safer grounds as infighting among Moro rebels erupted Thursday, military and disaster monitoring officials said on Friday.

The disaster monitoring office here said the displaced families from Barangay Madia here are now housed in Barangays Dapiawan and Elian, both in adjacent Datu Salibo town.

Chief Insp. Abdulbasit Kulod, Datu Saudii Ampatuan town police chief, said the local government has already extended relief assistance to the affected families.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID) said a ranking rebel leader was hurt in a clash with fellow rebels in Maguindanao following the murder of a town councilor on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, chief of the 6ID Civil Military Operations Office, said Haon Sindatok, commander of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 105th Base Command, was injured on his left arm during a clash Thursday night until Friday dawn with members of MILF 118th Base Command under Commander Ustadz Wahid Tundok in Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Salibo towns.

The infighting started when Datu Saudi Ampatuan Councilor Sahabudin Namli, 42, was ambushed on Wednesday morning in Barangay Madia here. Namli is the brother-in-law of Commander Tundok.

Besana said two followers of warring armed groups were killed and 11 others were hurt in the overnight skirmishes.

Besana said the tension in Barangay Madia had died down Friday dawn but both sides are still in fighting mode.The MILF leadership has sent emissaries to pacify warring MILF leaders.

Datu Saudi Ampatuan (DSA) town police said the 11 injured MILF members are being treated in hospitals in Midsayap, North Cotabato and in Cotabato City.

The injured MILF members were Hamsa Subil, Arseo Malicay, Embran Guimbangan, Tim Bagundali Abas, To James Guialel, Abdul Gador Garry Kaha, Buhari Manalundong, Mohamad Masulot, Guiamel Husting, Sindatok Saynodin and Salden Guiapar.

Kulod said personal grudge was the likely motive in the murder of Councilor Namli. Prior to his joining local politics, Namli, according to Kulod, was a recruiter for overseas workers based in Manila.

“He had unsettled problems while in Manila and that could be one of the possible motive in the murder,” Kulod said.

Namli was the second town councilor to have been killed in DSA. Councilor Anwar Sindatuk, the number one councilor, was also shot dead last year in Barangay Madia.

Moreover, this town’s former mayor, Samsudin Dimaukom, was killed in a police anti-drug operation in Makilala, North Cotabato last year.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1026276