PARANG: In a violent confrontation between two armed groups on Bongo Island, seven gunmen were killed, as reported by police and military authorities. The clash took place on Friday off the coast of Parang town, escalating tensions in the region.
According to Philippines News Agency, Col. Christopher Panapan, chief investigator of the Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, stated that one of the factions involved belonged to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The opposing group was led by Aragasi Tamano, a local resident of Bongo Island. Initial reports revealed that MILF fighters, under the leadership of commanders Macmod and Bayam from Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat, arrived in several motorized bancas and engaged in combat with Tamano’s group around 10 a.m.
The conflict intensified when members of the Parang municipal police and the 2nd Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-2) arrived on the island to safeguard civilians. They were subsequently attacked by gunmen
on a motorized pump boat at approximately 1 p.m. This led to a skirmish between government forces and the armed men, resulting in the deaths of three MILF fighters. Their bodies were retrieved and transported to a funeral home in Poblacion Parang.
Military sources confirmed that four additional bodies of MILF fighters were later discovered in the sea. The soldiers also seized two motorboats and a variety of firearms from the scene. Col. Panapan reported no civilian casualties and stated that the situation has since stabilized.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the skirmishes, with local residents suggesting that a long-standing “rido” or family feud might have sparked the violence. Police and Marine forces in the area remain on high alert to prevent potential retaliatory attacks by associates of the deceased gunmen.