COTABATO, Philippines, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen killed a mayoralty candidate in the upcoming special polls in an ambush in the restive southern Philippines on Friday, state police said.
Four other escorts of Guro Alim Ansar were injured when armed men attacked them in the city of Marawi, said regional police commander Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag.
Ansar group were heading home from a congressional prayer for the end of their annual fasting when they were ambushed along the way. A gun battle ensued, killing Ansar and wounding four of his security men.
"An investigation is underway. It might be related to clan war, " Latag said.
Ansar is seeking for mayoralty position for the special election set on November 6 in the township of Tugaya in the province of Lanao Sur.
In the south, clan war or rido is common among warring clans and sometimes the hostilities could last for decades until a peace pact is reached by protagonists, usually through mediation by religious leaders and the payment of blood money.
Among major causes of rido include land disputes, particularly those caused by disputed government surveys or ancestral land claims; political rivalries, mostly election-related; crime- related, including murder and proliferation of illegal drugs, competition over resources and businesses.
