GUNMEN killed a traditional Moro leader and his son in an ambush in Matalam town in Cotabato province at dusk on Sunday.
Anwar Ebrahim Salem, Sr., 52, and his 21-year-old son, Anwar Hudines, were on a motorcycle from the village of Arakan when gunmen on the road opened fire, Brigadier General Jimili L. Macaraeg, director of the Police Regional Office-12, told reporters on Monday.
The older Salem, a village councilor in Arakan, died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds, while his son died at a nearby hospital.
Mr. Salem was a member of the Bangsamoro Council of Moro Elders, which is involved in peacebuilding programs in areas with mixed Moro, Christian and ethnic tribal communities.
Their attackers, whose faces were covered with masks, escaped before village guards could reach the scene. Investigators said the root of the ambush could either be rido or clan war, or tied to the October village elections. — John M. Unson
