Soldiers, MILF rebels clash in Maguindanao, trade charges

COTABATO CITY - Security forces and Muslim rebels clashed anew at Sharif Aguak town in Maguindanao province even as a government panel presented a new proposal to try to break the deadlock in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said on Sunday that 80 MILF rebels twice attacked on Saturday a detachment of the 64th Infantry Battalion in Barangay (village) Kuloy. No casualties were reported on both sides. "We monitored their conversation in the radio. They are intentionally doing this harassment and then blame us later that we started the skirmishes," said Ando, adding that they would file formal complaint against MILF rebels for violating a cease-fire agreement. But MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu vehemently denied the military's statement, saying soldiers and militiamen attacked their position. "That's not true. They even shelled our position since last night and this morning. We are observing the truce," Kabalu said. The MILF spokesman said they would also file a complaint against the military. The clashes took place even government negotiators submitted their new proposal with MILF on territory aspects of ancestral domain for the resumption of the stalled peace talks. The peace talks, backed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), hit a snag a few months ago after the MILF insisted on the inclusion of at least 1,000 villages in the juridical Bangsamoro entity to be created after the signing of the peace deal. The MILF also demanded that the creation of the territory should not be subjected to a plebiscite. The government was willing to add only 600 predominantly Muslim villages to the proposed Bangsamoro homeland and insisted on holding a plebiscite on the issue as required by the Constitution. -GMANews.TV