2 Mastura clan members shot dead

SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao, Philippines  – Hooded men armed with M-16 assault rifles gunned down two scions of a big Moro royal clan here and wounded six others Wednesday night, police said.

Investigators were still clueless on who could be behind the killing of siblings Datu Lucman and Datu Maruf Mastura, who belong to the influential Mastura clan here and in nearby Sultan Mastura town.

Police said five of about 10 men riding in two cars pulled over at the victims’ front yard, barged into their house, opened fire with assault rifles and hurriedly fled the scene.

Neighbors said one of the gunmen even pulled out a caliber .45 pistol from his waist and finished off Datu Lucman with several shots before he left and boarded their getaway vehicle.

Six neighbors of the Masturas were wounded in the shooting frenzy.

Datu Lucman had been locked in a long-standing rido (clan war) with scions of other big families in the province.

He was alleged to have masterminded the killing of a policeman, SPO1 Bonifacio Sales Jr., in Cotabato City more than a year ago supposedly to avenge the death of his brother who was killed by the latter almost 10 years ago.