Filipino troops clash with rebels

Filipino troops clash with rebels

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (DPA): Army patrol troops clashed yesterday with members of the Philippines' largest remaining Moslem rebel group, killing two guerrillas a day after ground rules for a cease-fire in the southern region of Mindanao were approved.

Army Capt. Salih Indanan, chief information officer of the Armed Forces' Southern Command, said the gun battle erupted after the rebels were caught collecting "revolutionary taxes" near Sirawai town in Zamboanga del Norte province, 810 kilometers south of Manila.

Indanan said the 15 heavily-armed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fled to a nearby forested area after the brief encounter. But army troopers, backed by two tanks, were pursuing the guerrillas.

The latest fighting erupted after the government and the MILF laid down ground rules to implement an agreement for a cessation of hostilities in Mindanao signed July 18 after weeks of intense battles that left more than 150 people dead.