Woman killed, another missing in MILF attack

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – A female farmer died while another was reported missing when some 50 suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels attacked two farming villages in two separate incidents in Aleosan, North Cotabato, Tuesday. Sr. Supt. Lester Camba, provincial police director of North Cotabato, said the first attack took place in sitio New Valencia in Barangay Tapusok in Aleosan, around 11 a.m., today. Camba said a number of MILF rebels attacked a detachment of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in the area, which led to a firefight that lasted for 30 minutes. No one was hurt or injured during the 11 a.m., firefight, according to Camba. Three hours later, the rebels proceeded to another village where they fired shots towards villagers harvesting palay in sitio Tubak, Barangay Pagangan, also in Aleosan. The shots killed a still unidentified female farmer. One of the female farmers went missing after she reportedly ran to another village to escape, said Camba. Sr. Insp. Elias Dandan, chief of Pikit PNP, identified the attackers as those belonging to the 105th base command of the MILF under Commander Ombra Kato. Dandan said Ombra’s forces are hiding somewhere in Liguasan marsh, in Sultan sa Barongis and Datu Piang towns in Maguindanao. Camba has already ordered Aleosan PNP and its ‘force multipliers’ to be on guard and conduct a thorough probe of the attack. - Malu Cadelina Manar, GMANews.TV