Maguindanao town residents urge Army to set up military base

TALITAY, Maguindanao — Residents of three neighboring barangays here, now occupied by followers of two notorious commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), have urged the Armed Forces to put up a military base in the tri-boundaries of their villages to prevent MILF forces from establishing anew a shadow government.

MILF rebels, led by Commanders Talyo and Markay, both wanted for a string of heinous offenses, including drug trafficking last week plundered one of the three barangays, set on fire 19 houses there and carted away more than a dozen farm animals belonging to local farmers.

Saidamen Midtimbang, chairman of the Association of Barangay Chairman here, said that for several months now, the groups of Talyo and Markay have been repeatedly attacking farming communities here, raking houses with gunfire and robbing residents of their belongings, including farm animals.

Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, earlier told Catholic station dxMS in Cotabato City that the rebels involved in the spate of violent attacks on impoverished communities here have long been dropped from their roster of members for various criminal offenses.

Kabalu said Markay and his men are locked in a "rido" or clan war, that stemmed from a land dispute, with a big family in Barangay Nunangan, one of the three barangays often attacked by the gunmen. — John Unson