Four killed in Moro fighting

Four killed in Moro fighting

MANILA (AFP): Four gunmen have been killed in a clash between rival Moro groups in the southern Philippines, the military said on Wednesday.

About 70 members of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) encountered the same number of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) guerrillas in the town of Midsayap on Monday, the military said.

A three-hour firefight followed, during which one MNLF member and three MILF guerrillas were killed. The cause of the clash was not known.

The 12,500-strong MILF is the country's largest remaining Muslim insurgent group, and is currently negotiating peace with Manila. The MILF splintered from the MNLF in 1978 and was excluded from a peace deal signed between the government and MNLF.