KORONADAL CITY鈥擳wo people were killed while a ranking rebel leader and several others were injured during a clash between two rival groups of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Maguindanao.
The clash came after聽奥别诲苍别蝉诲补测鈥檚聽murder of a town councilor there, the military said聽Friday.
Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana, chief of the 6th Infantry Division鈥檚 Civil Military Operations (CMO) battalion, said Haon Sindatok, commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) 105th base command, was injured in the left arm during a clash聽Thursday聽night until聽Friday聽dawn with members of the MILF鈥檚 118th base command 鈥� under Commander Ustadz Wahid Tundok 鈥� in Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Datu Salibo towns, both in Maguindanao.
The infighting started when Councilor Sahabudin Namli, 42, was shot dead in Datu Saudi Ampatuan聽on Wednesday. Namli was Tundok鈥檚 brother-in-law.
Tundok reportedly initiated the attack against Sindatok鈥檚 group, which he suspected of killing Namli.
Citing reports from government forces on the ground, Besana said two followers of the warring rebel groups had been killed and 11 others were hurt in the overnight skirmishes that also sent hundreds of families fleeing to safer grounds.
The displaced families from Barangay Madia are now in relatives鈥� homes in the villages of Dapiawan and Elian, both in Datu Salibo town.
鈥淭ension had died down聽Friday聽dawn but both sides are still in fighting mode,鈥� he said.
Besana said the MILF leadership had already sent emissaries to pacify the warring MILF leaders.