2 Ampatuans hurt in clash with MILF rebels

Two members of the Ampatuan clan were wounded following a clash with Moro rebels in a remote village in Buayan town in Maguinandao province on Saturday, the military said on Sunday. Col. Prudencio Asto, public affairs officer of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the fighting could have been triggered by past issues between the two groups, including conflict on land ownership. Asto said the fighting broke out around 12 noon at Sampao village and lasted for about an hour, resulting in the wounding of 55-year-old Sukarno Ampatuan and his 24-year-old son Rohola. Both were taken to the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Hospital for treatment. Asto identified the leader of the Moro rebels as Teng Lumenda alias Kumander Flash of the 106th Base Command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The military official surmised that the MILF rebels who figured in the fighting were acting on their own due to unresolved issues with the members and followers of the Ampatuan clan. The MILF is negotiating for a peace agreement with the government. Some members of the Ampatuan clan, including patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr., are currently detained and facing multiple murder charges for their alleged involvement in the massacre of 57 people, including 32 journalists, in Maguindanao on Nov. 23, 2009. Asked if the two wounded Ampatuans were among those wanted for the massacre, Asto said: “We have not checked if they are among those in the wanted list in connection with the massacre." following the clash, the MILF rebels withdrew toward the village of Baital, also in Buayan town, with no information of casualties inflicted on their side, Asto said. Asto said the military has deployed forces in the area to prevent similar fighting between the two sides. “We are interceding, we have injected troops there to show that we are in control," he said. — KBK, GMA News