Eleven killed in MILF attack in Maguindanao
Agence France-Presse | 10/02/2008 3:21 PM
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Eight Muslim rebels and three soldiers were killed in the latest outbreak of fighting in the troubled southern Philippines, a military official said Thursday.
Guerrillas of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fired on an Army patrol in Datu Piang town in the island of Mindanao on Wednesday, killing the three soldiers and wounding 12, said Army commander Col. Marlou Salazar.
Military reinforcements backed by armored vehicles arrived later, prompting the rebels to flee using civilians as cover, he added.
The bodies of eight rebels were recovered from the scene, the colonel added.
The military earlier said it expected fighting with the MILF to increase following the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on Wednesday.
The military says its operations are against two MILF leaders, Umbra Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar, who are accused of leading deadly raids against mostly Christian towns on Mindanao island in early August that left dozens dead and displaced half a million people.
The government has been holding peace talks with the 12,000-member MILF but the violence flared after the Supreme Court on August 4 struck down a draft agreement which would have given the MILF control of large swathes of land in the Mindanao region.
