Two Muslim secessionist rebels were killed
Sunday in a clash with government troops on a southern Philippine island, the
military said.
It said 10 soldiers were also wounded in the fighting that erupted at dawn when
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas and Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels
attacked a marine outpost in Ungkaya Pukan town in Basilan province, 900 kilometres south of Manila.
The rebels also ambushed a team of government troops who were to provide
reinforcement to the beleaguered marines, destroying an armored personnel
carrier.
Civilians in nearby areas have fled their homes for fear of being caught in the
crossfire.
The area is a known lair of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels but the MILF
is maintaining an encampment there.
Peace talks between the Philippines and MILF was stalled since February this
year over disagreements on the controversial issue of ancestral domain which
include expansion of the current five-province Muslim autonomous region in the
strife-torn Mindao island, dpa reported.