Hundreds flee fighting in southern Philippines<\/p>\n
COTABATO, Philippines (Agencies): Hundreds of families fled
\ntheir homes in North Cotabato in the southern Philippines on
\nSunday as fresh fighting broke out between government forces and
\nMuslim separatists, the military said.<\/p>\n
Each side suffered one dead and several wounded in the clash,
\nwhich began after Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels
\nblockaded a five-km portion of a highway in North Cotabato, army
\nand rebel spokesmen said.<\/p>\n
Muslim separatists freed unharmed on Sunday some 100 people
\nthey took hostage after a pre-dawn raid on a southern Philippine
\nChristian village, in the latest attack to mar formal peace
\nnegotiations.<\/p>\n
About 200 MILF guerrillas stormed the village of Tibao in
\nMlang town North Cotabato province, killing a pro-government
\nmilitiaman and wounding four others before taking hostage the
\nvillagers.<\/p>\n
Five MILF guerrillas were also killed and seven were wounded
\nin clashes in nearby municipalities as two major rebel camps came
\nunder heavy mortar fire from the military, military and rebel
\ncommanders said.<\/p>\n
Town Mayor Luigi Cuerpo said the guerrillas herded the
\nhostages into a Catholic church and the men were ordered to dig
\nfoxholes near a highway, where MILF forces had set up blockades
\nto prevent government troops from advancing.<\/p>\n
The guerrillas threatened to shoot the villagers if they fled,
\nbut allowed them to leave unharmed later, Cuerpo said.<\/p>\n
MILF vice chairman for military affairs Al Haj Murad said the
\nguerrillas had blockaded the highway to prevent the government
\nreinforcing troops which had been attacking rebel camps since
\nlast week.<\/p>\n
The two sides are due to begin formal talks on Dec. 13 on
\nending the 27-year separatist rebellion in the Mindanao region,
\n800 km south of Manila.<\/p>\n
\"If the fighting does not stop, it will delay the peace
\ntalks,\" Murad told Reuters by telephone.<\/p>\n
An army spokesman accused the MILF of taking about 80
\nvillagers, mostly Christians, hostage and herding them inside a
\nchapel in Libao village during Sunday's fighting. Murad denied
\nthe accusation.<\/p>\n
\"What happened was that we told the civilians to stay inside
\nthe church to avoid being caught in the crossfire. We did not
\nforce them there, we did not even guard them,\" Murad said.<\/p>\n
He said the rebels had occupied the highway for most of the
\nday but withdrawn towards nightfall. He said he presumed the
\ncivilians holed up in the chapel had gone back to their homes.<\/p>\n
Murad said the MILF had suffered six dead during the military
\nattacks on their camps last week while the army put government
\ncasualties at two dead.<\/p>\n
The MILF is fighting for an Islamic state in the southern part
\nof the largely Roman Catholic country.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hundreds-flee-fighting-in-southern-philippines-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}