Marines, cops fielded to stem Lanao clan war

CAMP S.K. PENDATUN, Maguindanao — A big contingent of policemen and Marines has been fielded in Tubaran, Lanao del Sur to prevent further hostilities between feuding Maranaw clans there, which have already left at least 10 people dead.

Senior Superintendent Akmad Mamalinta, police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan has also tasked his local government secretary, Vice Gov. Ansarudin Adiong, to work out a peaceful settlement to the raging rido, or clan war.

"In the meantime, we have fielded dozens of our men in the area to act as buffer troops and help local leaders pacify the feuding clans," said Mamalinta, who is now overseeing the security measures which the ARMM police is carrying out in Tubaran.

Citing initial feedback from the Lanao del Sur police, Ma—malinta said the renewed hostilities were possibly related to the ambush-killing of seven people, among them the police chief of Tubaran town, by suspected members of a rival clan in Malabang, Lanao del Sur about three months ago.

Involved in the rido were the Kibad and Balt families, on one side, and the Masigay and Dimaporo clans, on the other.

Marine Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, commander of the anti-crime Task Force Ranao, which has jurisdiction over the Lanao provinces, said an influential member of the Dimaporo clan has volunteered to convince his relatives to stay away from Tubaran town while the ARMM police and the Marines are trying to settle the conflict amicably.

"Our major problem now is that we cannot find someone to help us pacify the Kibad and Balt families. These families have so many enemies and are known for their notoriety in the area," Dolorfino told The STAR via mobile phone.

Dolorfino said religious leaders in Lanao del Sur are now helping Ampatuan, chairman of the regional peace and order council, and Adiong think of measures to stave off renewed fighting in Tubaran.

Sources in the police intelligence community confirmed that the Kibads and the Balts were the ones behind the ambush-killing of the Tubaran police chief, who was a relative of the Masigays and Dimaporos.

Dolorfino said the animosity between the feuding clans worsened last December when a member of the Masigay family was gunned down by a rival clan.

The feuding families are said to be keeping military-type assault rifles, shoulder-fired grenade launchers and M-60 machineguns.

Eid Kabalu, spokesman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said the front’s chieftain, Al-Haj Murad, has issued an order restraining MILF members related to the feuding clans from taking sides.

Kabalu said the MILF is itself also initiating steps to complement the efforts of the ARMM government, the police and the Marines in resolving the conflict peacefully.

"What we can assure the government is that MILF fighters related to either side will never allow themselves to get unduly involved in this conflict," he said.

Kabalu said Murad has instructed MILF commanders in Tubaran to convince the Kibad and Balt families to agree to a ceasefire with the Masigay and Dimaporo clans. — With Richel Umel, Lino de la Cruz and Roel Pareño