Gov't arrests 3 ex-MILF combatants, deploys peacekeepers amid clan clashes

Government forces arrested three former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants in Rajah Buayan, Maguindanao del Sur, following infighting between two MILF factions that began on Sunday.

The clashes involved at least six MILF groups across parts of Maguindanao del Sur, North Cotabato, and the Bangsamoro region's Special Geographic Area (SGA), displacing over 50 families.

On Monday night, authorities recovered an M14 assault rifle, a .45 caliber pistol, an improvised 20-gauge shotgun pistol, ammunition for assault rifles, and explosives from the suspects who are now detained at the Rajah Buayan municipal police station.

Local officials confirmed that peacekeeping contingents have been deployed to three towns in Central Mindanao where heavily armed rival MILF groups engaged in clashes, prompting villagers to flee their homes.

Brig. Gen. Jaysen De Guzman, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), ordered police units in Maguindanao del Sur to assist military forces in filing criminal charges against the suspects involved in the clash.

The Army's 6th Infantry Division (6ID) is securing areas recently affected by armed encounters between rival MILF factions and warned warring factions to stop fighting or face military intervention to ensure civilian safety.