The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has announced that it will conduct an investigation into a recent deadly confrontation in Barangay Cabengbeng, Sumisip, Basilan, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including two soldiers, and left twelve others wounded. Anwar Alamada, the head of the MILF Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), stated that the group had dispatched representatives to Basilan to instruct their forces to withdraw and return to their bases and local areas. According to Alamada, members of the MILF 114th Base Command were taken by surprise when military vehicles carrying soldiers entered their community. He noted that there was no prior communication with local officials or MILF members regarding the arrival of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representatives and their military escorts. The clash broke out around 4 p.m. on Wednesday as the Army’s 32nd Infantry Battalion was escorting UNDP officials to a project location. Following the incident, MILF members set fire to an Army truck and shared a video of the event on social media, though Alamada emphasized that the MILF does not condone such acts of violence by its members. Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez denounced the attack, labeling it as the work of those undermining peace efforts, and called on the MILF leadership to take disciplinary measures against those responsible to avoid future occurrences.
