Rebels ambush Army patrol

Rebels ambush Army patrol

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Moslem guerrillas ambushed
Philippine soldiers on a nearby island, wounding three, military
reports said yesterday.

The incident occurred shortly before five Indonesian observers
tasked to monitor a government cease-fire with the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) guerrillas arrived in this southern city
yesterday.

MNLF Spokesman Amat Muhammad, in a radio interview, blamed the
military for sending troops into an MNLF-claimed area without
coordinating first with the guerrilla leadership.

Regional police official, Chief Superintendent Roberto
Lastimoso, said the Indonesian observers were led by the
counselor at the Indonesian embassy in Manila, Djamil Yusbar.
They will go to Basilan on Saturday to investigate the latest
ambush.