Maguindanao villagers ask military to help defuse clan war
MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Residents of an interior barangay in Sultan Mastura town urged authorities Monday to intervene in a showdown between two heavily-armed groups in their villages.
Community leaders said gunmen belonging to one of two feuding clans in the area searched on Monday morning for firearms in a number of houses in Sitio Santillan in Barangay Macabiso in Sultan Mastura town in Maguindanao.
Sitio Santillan has been the scene of sporadic gunfights since February between the two feuding families, both identified with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Villagers told reporters the armed men who roamed in their villages early Monday fired assault rifles at houses occupied by their adversaries.
The hostilities between the two groups started in February, sparked by land conflict and political differences.
Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, has directed the 1st Marine Brigade, which covers Sultan Mastura and neighboring towns, to help local officials and the police settle the clan war.
- Latest
- Trending
