ZAMBOANGA CITY, 1 February 2006 — At least 9 people were killed in fierce fighting between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines.
The MILF said the fighting erupted Sunday and sporadic clashes continued the next day in the villages of Tapikan and Lepok, all in Datu Unsay town after soldiers and members of the military-backed Civilian Army Geographical Armed Forces (CAFGU) harassed rebel forces.
“One MILF fighter and eight CAFGU members were slain during the intense firefight, which the latter initiated by attacking MILF positions in said villages,” a statement posted on the MILF website at http://luwaran.com said yesterday.
It said the fighting stopped after security forces, which sustained heavy casualties, retreated at nightfall.
Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, said the fighting was triggered by a land conflict between two Muslim families, but soldiers sided with one group and attacked MILF forces in the villages for a still unknown reason.
The fighting broke out ahead of the resumption of the peace talks between Manila and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur.
Manila opened peace talks with the MILF in an effort to strike a political deal that would put an end to more than three decades of bloody hostilities in the strife-torn, but mineral-rich region.
