Shariff saydona mustapha: Three Moro fighters were killed and three others were injured after armed members of warring Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) factions clashed in Shariff Saydona Mustapha, Maguindanao del Sur, the police said Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the encounter on Sunday morning involved the groups of commanders Malibuteng and Kagui Adam from the MILF 128th and MILF 118th base commands, respectively, as reported by Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR).
"The two groups are locked in a long-standing family feud, locally known as 'rido,'" Ventura stated, adding that they are still figuring out what triggered the latest round of fighting.
Ventura noted that the group of Malibuteng was traveling along the national highway in Barangay Linantangan in three minivans when they were ambushed by followers of Kagui Adam around 9 a.m.
Police identified the slain followers of Malibuteng by their aliases 'Ares,' 'Alimasing,' and 'Obama.'
Three followers of Kagui Adam were injured, while a stray bullet hit a civilian.
The two-hour clash ended when government forces arrived, supported by armored personnel carriers equipped with .50-caliber machine guns.
Police investigators found more than 100 empty shells from various calibers at the ambush site in Barangay Linantangan, a residential area.