47 Arrested, 61 Guns Seized in Maguindanao Sur Clan War.

CAMP SIONGCO: Security forces, responding to calls for help from civilians, arrested 47 persons and seized 61 high-powered firearms during a law enforcement operation against warring Moro families in Mamasapano, Maguindanao del Sur on Friday. According to Philippines News Agency, Col. Ricky P. Bunayog, officer in charge of the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade, stated that the firearms belonged to families locked in a long-standing feud and clashed occasionally. Bunayog detailed that the 1 p.m. joint military-police operation was conducted in Barangay Pimbalakan in Mamasapano, where the families of Badrudin Inda and Zainudin Kiaro have been fighting, causing fear and distress among the locals. He mentioned that despite several peace dialogues and covenant signings initiated by the local government and the Bangsamoro region peace and reconciliation office, the warring families continued to engage in sporadic skirmishes. Civilians had earlier called on the military to intervene to end the recurring clashes, highl ighting the community's desire for peace. Bunayog emphasized the necessity for security forces to eliminate loose firearms from communities to protect civilians and prevent armed clashes. He stated, 'The military will not tolerate any individual or group who will violate the law of the land and human rights of the people.' Among the firearms confiscated were assault rifles, handguns, rifle grenades, hand grenades, homemade sniper rifles, and a 60 mm mortar tube. Maj. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division and acting commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), has urged the feuding parties in Mamasapano to settle their disputes peacefully and legally. Since January, the Army in Maguindanao del Sur has confiscated more than 300 assorted firearms during law enforcement operations. Mamasapano was notably the site of the Jan. 25, 2015 firefight that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos, 17 Moro rebels, and civilians during a pol ice operation targeting Malaysian bomb maker and Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli Bin Hir, also known as Marwan.