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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Mindanao devider MILF commander, 6 others killed in North Cotabato gun battles

MILF commander, 6 others killed in North Cotabato gun battles

Published Nov 25, 2025 01:08 pm

COTABATO CITY – Armed hostilities that erupted Monday in a remote village in Matalam, North Cotabato, involving Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) factions have left seven persons dead, including an MILF field commander.
The fatality was identified as MILF commander Salidato Langalen, whose family is locked in a "rido" (clan feud) with another MILF commander.
“Government forces have been deployed to ensure the safety of civilians and to allow MILF leaders to settle the misunderstanding of their men on the ground,” Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, commander of the Army 602nd Infantry Brigade, told reporters on Tuesday.
He added that the identities of the other casualties are still being validated.
The hostilities broke out around 5 a.m. Monday in Barangay Estado in Matalam and later escalated to nearby Barangay Malinan in Kidapawan City on the same day.
Habib Kusain, who is related to the Langalen clan, said in a radio interview on Tuesday that rival armed men attacked  Barangay Estado, where Commander Langalen and his family were located.
“We engaged the attackers in a two-hour firefight, forcing them to retreat. The conflict also forced about 20 families to flee to safer grounds,” he said in the vernacular.
According to Kusain, his family and the other Moro clan, both of which belonged to the MILF, have been locked in a rido for the past 10 years.
The seven fatalities have been buried in accordance with Islamic rites on Monday afternoon.
Affected families have returned home with soldiers securing their communities. (PNA)

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