Military intervenes in rido, captures 8 suspected MILF men

MANILA, Philippines - Government soldiers captured eight men believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following a clash in Salvador town, Lanao del Sur, a local military commander said on Wednesday. Colonel Benito de Leon, commander of the Army’s 104th Brigade, said troops from 35th Infantry Battalion clashed with at least 20 suspected rebels in Bayabao village around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. The troops were dispatched in response to an information that an armed group was “preparing to launch a reprisal attack" in the town. Citing initial, de Leon said the armed group is linked to a prominent MILF leader “who intended to do a rido (armed settlement of a family feud) in exacting revenge with another prominent political personality in the area." He, however, declined to identify both the MILF leader and the politician who was the supposed target of the attack. Aside from capturing eight suspected rebels, government troops also recovered a shotgun, ammunitions, handheld radios, military packs and rebel uniforms from the group. A number of killings associated with ridos had occurred in Lanao del Norte for the past several weeks. This has prompted the military to deploy forces even as it conducted dialogues to deter the recurrence of violence in the area. Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, in a visit to Lanao del Norte over the weekend, reminded the residents that the courts are the only acceptable and lawful institutions for the settlement of disputes. - GMANews.TV