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.