ZAMBOANGA, Zamboanga del
Sur, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Armed Forces chief
General Efren Abu said Thursday that Wednesday's
clash between government forces and Moro rebels
in Maguindanao province did not endanger the
peace process.
The military reported that two rebels were
killed while a soldier, three militiamen, and
three civilians were injured in the encounter
triggered by an alleged unprovoked attack by
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels on a
government outpost.
The fighting, which breached a two-year-old
ceasefire, apparently was triggered by a
long-standing family feud between members of the
MILF and pro-government militiamen that got out
of hand, Abu said.
"It is a purely domestic conflict between two
families and it has not affected in any way the
ongoing peace negotiation with the MILF," Abu
said here during the turnover of command at the
Southern Command.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu also stressed that
the rebel leadership had not sanctioned any
attack, noting that those who took part in the
encounters
were relatives of some members of the MILF.
The MILF has been waging a separatist
rebellion in the south since 1978 but has opened
peace talks with the government. The next round
of talks is supposed to start after Islam's holy
month of Ramadan this month and to be hosted by
Malaysia.