MILF, AFP clash in Lanao Norte — report

Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters and government troops engaged in a firefight early Saturday in Lanao del Norte province, an MILF report said. In an article on its website, the MILF said the fighting took place in Payong village in Sultan Naga Dimaporo town in Lanao del Norte. The MILF cited sketchy reports that government forces entered the village "in full battle gear and started firing indiscriminately." It said the firing prompted the clash with MILF forces under Commander Latif. The government and the MILF have been engaged in peace efforts since 1997, but fighting broke out between both camps in 2008 after the Supreme Court junked a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) that would have created a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. — LBG, GMANews.TV