MILF attacks North Cotabato village

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines – Marauding members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday attacked militiamen guarding the remote Barangay Bualan in Pikit town, sending hundreds of villagers running for their lives.

Local officials told reporters the group, led by Abdulrashid Ali, a senior leader in the MILF 105th Base Command, retreated after the barangay tanods and members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) outflanked them.

At least three MILF men were wounded in the incident, which lasted for about 30 minutes.

Capt. Arvin Encinas, public affairs chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said Ali, also known as Commander RP, led the incursion into the barangay’s Sitio Valencia, which lies near the border of Pikit and Aleosan towns in North Cotabato.

Although outnumbered, the barangay tanods and CAFGUs managed to outflank Ali’s group, forcing them to retreat carrying three wounded companions. Early this year, Ali lost two of his men when they attempted to rob farmers of their cattle.

Encinas said Army units in Pikit and Aleosan towns are now guarding the conflict-stricken village to prevent a repeat of the incident. The North Cotabato provincial police office also tightened security in areas vulnerable to attacks by Ali’s group.

He added that the MILF rebels waged the attack out of a personal grudge and that this would not in anyway jeopardize ongoing peace negotiations.

There is an existing truce between the government and the MILF binding both sides to peacefully resolve their issues.

A resident of Pigkawayan town, which was recently attacked by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, said they are “prepared to defend communities from lawless elements.”

There were reports that civilians in Pigkawayan-Pikit, Aleosan, Libunga and Midsayap Alamada towns, which border the Liguasan Marsh, have consolidated their ranks out of fear that the Marawi attack might spill over to their localities. – With Jaime Laude