At least three people were killed in the southern Philippines on Sunday as security forces fought a band of about 70 suspected Muslim guerrillas who stormed a remote town, officials said. The rebels kidnapped at least 20 civilians, including the town mayor's wife and son, as they withdrew. They said sporadic fighting was still going on in the town of Siocon on Mindanao island, and that they feared there were more casualties. Two policemen and a soldier were confirmed killed but there were a lot of civilians in the town because of a local festival. "There were many civilian casualties because it was the eve of the fiesta," a senior military official who asked not to be named told reporters.
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The wounded numbered at least seven — three soldiers, one policeman and three civilians, according to the official. The rebels attacked a town hall, a public market and a hospital. The military said it believed the guerrillas included men from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the biggest of several Muslim rebel groups in the south; the Abu Sayyaf which is listed as a foreign terrorist group by Washington with suspected links to the al Qaeda network; and some other renegades. |