Four people were killed and six others injured in a clan war in the southern Philippines, a local Army official said Thursday.

The clash between two families with active relatives in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest rebel group, erupted on Wednesday afternoon in the township of Pikit, North Cotabato province, local Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce told Xinhua by phone.

"This is a separate incident from the artillery and ground attacks we are launching against wanted Muslim rebels," Ponce said. Earlier, the spokesman said that government troops were launching operations to capture Ameril Umbra Kato, a field MILF commander most wanted by the government. The military had seized two major camps of MILF rebels since April 18.

"We have dispatched troops to the area to pacify the warring clans," he added.

In the south, clan wars are common among warring families and in some cases hostilities could last for decades until a peace pact is reached, usually through mediation by religious leaders and the payment of blood money.

Major causes of clan wars include land disputes, political rivalries, proliferation of illegal drugs, and competition over resources and businesses, among others.