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COTABATO CITY — Military forces are pursuing an unidentified armed group responsible for torching at least 10 homes in remote villages of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, an Army spokesman said Tuesday.
Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, spokesman for the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said the 33rd Infantry Battalion (IB) deployed a quick reaction team to track down the armed group which has been harassing barangay Malingao and Balong during the villagers' observance of the fasting month.
Shariff Aguak Municipal Councilor Datu Oping Ampatuan said the gunmen set fire to the houses on Sunday after the owners fled to safer areas upon spotting the armed men.
"I pity our brothers and sisters who have to endure the pain of fleeing even at night while observing the fasting month," the councilor said in a radio interview Tuesday, speaking in the vernacular.
Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, commander of the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade, condemned the atrocities, which have caused hardship and disruption to the villages during the fasting period.
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Catu deployed a sizable force, supported by armored personnel carriers, to the area to maintain peace and prevent further harassment of civilians, particularly farmers and fisherfolk.
The military, in coordination with the Shariff Aguak local government, has provided humanitarian aid to around 250 families displaced twice since last Thursday.
The Shariff Aguak police and 33IB have yet to identify the armed group, describing it only as a private armed group operating in the province.
