Homes burned as MILF raids North Cotabato village

COTABATO CITY, Philippines -- Skirmishes in North Cotabato province between Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and government militiamen resumed early Monday after some 100 rebels raided a remote village Sunday night, burning houses and sending residents fleeing, authorities said.

The militiamen and Moro rebels have been engaged in sporadic fighting over the past two days that has killed two civilians and forced 5,000 civilians to evacuate.

Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said soldiers have been dispatched to try to pacify the clashing groups.

Ando said the military is preparing to file a protest against the rebels but warned that a full-scale government offensive might be launched if the MILF’s “harassment” continues.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied the rebels initiated the hostilities and claimed the militiamen attacked first. "The militiamen attack[ed] our position, we only retaliated," he said.

He added that appropriate action has been adopted by a joint government-MILF ceasefire committee.

The rebels were trading shots with some 50 members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit in Barangay (village) Bagolibas, Aleosan town, and in Barangay Baliki in Midsayap.

About 20 houses were torched by guerillas in nearby Barangay Bagolibas on Sunday although a militiaman told radio dxMS that 30 homes had been burned.

"They have been firing at us but we do not retaliate," the militiaman said, adding that soldiers and policemen have taken up defensive positions.

Aleosan Mayor Loreto Cabaya said there were no face-to-face skirmishes, only intermittent gunshots from either side.

However, the mayor said they had been "left to defend ourselves using our resources" and that the rebels had taken away villagers’ work animals.(Edwin Fernandez; INQ.net)