More
peacekeeping forces of the military were sent to remote villages here after two
Moro rebel groups clashed over land dispute and Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) harassed Army and militia detachment in Barangay Malamote.
Separate
clashes involving MILF and rival Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and MILF
against militiamen and soldiers occurred at dawn Thursday, Lt. Leonard Lopez,
speaking for the 7th Infantry Battalion.
Separate
skirmishes involving MILF commander Unzon and militiamen also occurred just as
MILF and MNLF members traded bullets in nearby Barangay Manubuan, also in
Matalam.
No
casualty was reported in the MILF, MNLF clashes that the Army believed was
triggered by a long standing family feud involving farmers who happened to BE
affiliated with either of the two Moro fronts.
The
firefight started at about 3 a.m. and ceased about four hours later.
As
both sides traded bullets, another band of MILF members clashed with government
militiamen and soldiers at about 4 a.m. in nearby Sitio Maligaya, Barangay
Malamote, Matalam, North Cotabato
Lopez
said an Army temporary detachment in Sito Maligaya was harassed by about 50
MILF belonging to 108th base command.
The
harassment forced government forces to return fire, triggering a sporadic
exchange of bullets for about three hours.
“Our
forces were deployed there to serve as peacekeeping force in a land conflict
involving MILF and some farmers,” Lopez said.
An
unidentified farmer was wounded when he was hit by stray bullets in Barangay
Malamote. But Lopez said the Army is yet to verify the report.
Several
families have moved to nearby villages to avoid getting caught in crossfire as
both warring groups are still in the area as of this writing.
Late
last month, MILF forces harassed Moro farmers who owned vast track of lands in
Barangay Malamote.
With
the scene of clashes about a kilometer from the highway linking Cotabato
province to Davao
City
Following
Thursday’s armed conflict, the government and MILF ceasefire committee members
have been sent to help defuse the tension.
The
fighting occurred while Muslims, including the protagonists, were observing the
fasting month of Ramadan.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=661592
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