ZAMBOANGA CITY: Gunmen ambushed and wounded a village chief and two of his aides in Basilan, one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines, reports said Thursday. It added that Parangbasak village chief Juddihal Muddalan and his bodyguards were heading home in a car when gunmen attacked them late Wednesday afternoon. The attack occurred in Baas village in Lamitan City not far from Muddalan’s home. The victims were brought to hospital in Zamboanga City. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the ambush, but police are investigating the motive of the attack. It was unknown whether the attack was carried out by rebels or a result of a rido or clan war. Rido is not uncommon in Basilan and elsewhere in the Muslim region where warring families or clan usually clash over political or land disputes.
