Death toll in clash between Philippine troops and rebels rises to 24

Death toll in clash between Philippine troops and rebels rises to 24

2011-10-20 15:05:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

MANILA (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll as a result of a clash between government troops and separatist rebel groups in the southern Philippines has risen to at least 24, officials said on Thursday.

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. A spokesman of the separatist rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (<deleted>) claimed that government soldiers attacked their troops while the government said the troops were carrying out a routine patrol and searching for reported armed men in the area.

<deleted> spokesman Ghadzali Jaafar said the fighting occurred inside a satellite camp of the <deleted>, debunking Western Mindanao Command spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang's statement that the area was four kilometers (2.4 miles) away from <deleted> territory. He described the encounter as "a huge event" that may be used to further delay the peace talks, ABS-CBN News reported.

"What we want is - this should be investigated at the level of the ceasefire committees so both sides will know what happened. Maybe what happened there had no backing by upper leadership. These peace negotiations should be supported by all government agencies including the military units in Basilan and Mindanao," he added.

As of Thursday, at least five rebels and 19 soldiers were confirmed to have been killed. However, 

Col. Arnulfo Burgos said the military has launched a rescue operation for several soldiers who were reported missing after the clash. He added that military members were on a mission to capture commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi and Long Malat when they encountered 10 armed men that swelled to 400 armed men during a firefight that lasted the whole day in Al-Barkah town. 

Asnawi escaped the Basilan provincial jail on December 30, 2009 along with 30 other inmates. He was also involved in the beheading of 10 of 14 Marines massacred in early 2007 in the same town.

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