Ambush kills 2, wounds 6 in Maguindanao del Sur
COTABATO CITY—An Islamic preacher and another member of his family were killed while six others were wounded in an ambush in Guindulungan town of Maguindanao del Sur on Monday night.
Police Capt. Guiseppe Tamayo, spokesperson for the Maguindanao del Sur Police Provincial Office, said among those who survived unscathed from the 7:30 p.m. ambush was a commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but whose identity he did not disclose.
The ambush happened while the election gun ban was in effect in the province and the rest of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) ahead of the first-ever parliamentary elections in the region in October this year.
Tamayo said a total of 16 individuals, all members of the same family, were aboard a black Toyota commuter van from Cotabato City going to Rajah Buayan town. When the van reached the highway of Barangay Bagan, Guindulungan town, gunmen opened fire at the running vehicle.
Except for the Islamic preacher, Tamayo only gave the aliases of the other victims; including a certain “Allan” who was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The wounded were identified only as Rack, Norodin, Mahron, Mohamidin, Benjo and Salie. Eight other passengers, including the van’s driver and the MILF commander, were unharmed.
Presence of mind
Tamayo lauded the presence of mind of the driver who, despite being under fire, managed to steer the vehicle to the police detachment at nearby Barangay Crossing Salbu in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, where they sought police assistance.
Barangay Bagan, where the ambush occurred, is approximately 3 kilometers from the Datu Saudi Ampatuan municipal police station.
Police Capt. Argie Eyana, chief of police of Rajah Buayan, confirmed that all the victims were residents of his town. He also noted that the family involved had previously settled a “rido,” or clan feud, though he did not provide further details on the nature or history of the conflict.
So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Tamayo.
Police recovered at least 50 spent shells of various calibers from the ambush site. An investigation is currently under way to identify the perpetrators and determine the motive behind the attack.
Anwar Alamada, chair of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group of the MILF, said they were verifying whether the individuals involved were members of their group.
The Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (Pro-Bar) strongly condemned the shooting.
Possible motives
Brig. Gen. Jaysen de Guzman, Pro-Bar regional director, said on Tuesday investigators were actively pursuing multiple leads to identify the perpetrators.
But Tamayo said they were looking at rido as “among the possible motives,” even as he stressed that police investigators were also considering other possible angles.
Conflicts among the MILF clans have caused several skirmishes and deaths in the Maguindanao provinces.
Only last week, military authorities sent a strong message to warring field commanders of the MILF that the Army would use its might against MILF members who continue to fight each other in Maguindanao del Sur.
“If you are brave enough, let us fight,” Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, told MILF field commanders who ended their long-standing family feud on Aug. 17. “MILF against the Army if you continue to disrespect the localized peace agreement,” he added.
Catu issued the warning after Kagui Gani Adam, deputy commander of the MILF 118th base command, and Zainudin Kiaro, commander of the 128th MILF base command, agreed to end their bloody rido during a settlement at the satellite office of Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Datu Ali Midtimbang in Datu Anggal Midtimbang town.
The signing of the peace pact ends months of violence in two adjoining towns of Mamasapano and Shariff Saydona Mustapha that claimed lives, displaced civilians and forced education officials to suspend classes for several days.
