At least 12 soldiers killed as Philippine troops battle rebels in south

At least 12 soldiers killed as Philippine troops battle rebels in south

2011-10-18 22:33:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- At least twelve soldiers were killed on Tuesday when government troops clashed with separatist rebel groups in the southern Philippines, military officials said. Ten others are still missing and feared dead.

The skirmishes began on early Tuesday morning in the Cambug area, which is located in the municipality of Al-Barka on the island province of Basilan. According to Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, government troops clashed with members of the Islamic separatist rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (<deleted>).

Cabangbang said a number of <deleted> rebels were also killed but did not specify a number. Earlier, however, deputy commander for Marine operations of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao Colonel Jose Johriel Cenabre said at least six <deleted> rebels were killed and several others wounded, including commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi.

According to reports, government troops were carrying out a routine patrol and searching for reported armed men in the area when they encountered the <deleted> rebels. Cabangbang linked the rebels to those involved in the 2007 beheading of fourteen Marines in Ginanta, a town also located in Albarkah.

The military confirmed at least twelve of its soldiers were killed while ten others remain missing and are feared to also have been killed. Eleven other troops were injured, although their conditions were not immediately known.

However, <deleted> chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal claimed that Army troops first attacked the rebel group, the Inquirer reported. According to Iqbal, soldiers stormed a <deleted> camp using a warrant against Asnawi, but rebels were able to defend their ground and kill 22 soldiers.

Furthermore, Iqbal said the attack violated the existing ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Philippines and <deleted>. The incident "only overstates the insincerity of the government and its armed forces with the ongoing peace process and ceasefire," he told the media outlet, adding that the rebel group would file a complaint before the ceasefire committees.

Asnawi, who has been identified as the commander of the <deleted> 114th Base Command in Basilan, was previously arrested shortly after the 2007 incident. He managed to escape from a provincial prison in Basilan in December 2009.

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