DAVAO CITY, Maguindanao,
Philippines -- (UPDATE) At least six government
soldiers and one Muslim rebel were wounded
during a 30-minute firefight in at least two
villages of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao
province, a rebel spokesman said Wednesday.
The figures could not be independently
confirmed but the military's Southern Command
said the clash occurred early morning Wednesday.
Eid Kabalu of the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) said the clash stemmed from a feud
triggered by the killing of at least two MILF
commanders on October 18.
He said efforts to settle the feud failed,
and on Wednesday, relatives and followers of the
two commanders decided to exact revenge by
attacking the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical
Unit (CAFGU) outpost in Barangay (village) Tuca
in Mamasapano.
Kabalu said policemen from nearby Shariff
Aguak town responded and clashed with the rebels
in Barangay Lepok, also in Mamasapano.
"This incident did not involve the MILF as an
organization. The joint ceasefire committees are
already in the area to resolve the problem,"
Kabalu said.
In Manila, Brigadier General Alexander Yano,
chief of the coordinating committee on the
cessation of hostilities, confirmed the
encounter in Maguindanao.
The MILF also simultaneously attacked three
detachments of army civilian volunteers in the
area, Yano said.
“The Armed Forces is on standby but we are
checking on the reported massing up of MILF
forces in the area,” Yano said.
The fighting interrupted a two year-old truce
that was being observed by more than 60
international military monitors from Brunei and
Malaysia ahead of the resumption of peace talks
between the government and the MILF.