Fighting broke out Wednesday between Muslim guerrillas and government soldiers, who bombarded the rebels with artillery and helicopter fire ahead of a planned resumption of peace talks, both sides said. At least one rebel was killed as each side blamed the other for breaking last year’s truce and raising new obstacles to efforts to end a three-decades-long Muslim insurgency. The clashes erupted near a Moro Islamic Liberation Front camp in Sirawai town in the mountainous southern province of Zamboanga del Norte. The military said about 200 men opened fire from two sides at an army platoon, prompting soldiers to fire back and call in artillery and air support from their headquarters a few kilometers away. The soldiers were not initially aware the attackers were MILF rebels, Lt. Col. Renoir Pascua said.
| Having been in that position a time or two, I don't think they cared... |
There were no immediate reports of casualties among government troops. The guerrillas denied attacking, saying the army began shelling their camp for reasons not clear at dawn Wednesday, setting off a clash that killed one rebel and wounded another. "In the face of the aggression, we were being shelled and attacked by helicopters, (and) we had no choice but to defend ourselves," rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said. |