IPIL, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Aug) – At least two rebels were killed when two factions of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front clashed Tuesday in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte, officials said.
Officials said the fighting erupted on a remote village in Siocon town and troops were sent in the area to protect the civilians.
“We have soldiers in the town to make sure the skirmishes between two MILF factions won’t affect the safety of the civilians. We still don’t know what triggered the firefight between the two groups.”
“Our concern is the safety of the civilians and the security of the town,” Col. Jovencio Magalso, commander of the Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade in the province, told the Mindanao Examiner.
The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is currently negotiating peace with the Filipino government. It also signed a cease-fire agreement with Manila in 2001, but despite the truce sporadic clashes still continue in the troubled region.
The military also implicated the MILF in the killing of 14 Marines, ten of who were beheaded in fierce fighting July 10 in the neighboring island of Basilan. (Mindanao Examiner)
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