COTABATO CITY â Separatist guerrillas yesterday attacked two army positions in the southern Philippines, killing at least five civilians nearby, a day after announcing a unilateral 10-day cease-fire starting next week, the military said.
| That's what usually happens when Islamists declare a truce, isn't it? |
Soldiers also retrieved the bodies of five rebels killed in a clash after 70 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas fired mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at the army detachments in Carmen, North Cotabato, 900 kilometers south of Manila, said Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, commander of the armyâs 6th Infantry Division. He said at least five residents were killed when the rebels set fire to 10 houses nearby. No soldiers were hurt, Senga said. âIt appears that the MILF leadership has no control over (its) men in the field,â he said.
| What an odd idea. I'd say it's a lot more likely they do, which is why the attacks happened... |
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the cease-fire order has yet to reach some of their fighters in the field. Still, he said, the five killed were militiamen and were considered combatants. He said two rebels and several soldiers were also killed. âIf there were houses burned, thatâs because they are situated beside the detachment and are owned by soldiers or (civilian militia),â he said. |