11 dead, five wounded in southern Philippine clash

Manila, Oct 31 (IANS) Eleven suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have been killed and five others have been wounded in a clash with their own MILF comrades in Maguindanao del Sur province in the southern Philippines, a spokesperson for the Philippine Army said Thursday.

Lieutenant Colonel Roden Orbon of the Army's 6th Infantry Division said the fighting broke out around 1:30 p.m. local time in Pagalungan town on Wednesday, forcing around 30 families in the area to flee to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

It was unclear what caused the fighting among the two warring factions, Xinhua news agency reported.

The MILF signed a peace pact with the government in 2014, ending decades of bloody conflict in the southern Philippines.

The peace agreement paved the way for establishing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Over 26,000 MILF combatants have been decommissioned since 2019.

--IANS

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