MANILA: Deadly fighting between Philippine soldiers and a group of Muslim separatists has forced thousands of people to flee their homes on southern Mindanao island and created a new problem for stalled peace talks to end the long-running insurgency.
Twenty people were killed when army commandos clashed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters near al-Barka town on Basilan on Tuesday, and both sides accused each other of breaking a seven-year truce.
Al Rasheed Sakalahul, Basilan province vice governor, said the deployment of more troops, backed by helicopters and armoured vehicles, had forced residents to flee their homes and farms.
”They fear of getting caught in a crossfire if another encounter erupts,” Sakalahul told reporters. Government officials said nearly 3,500 people had been displaced.
A dozen soldiers were wounded and 10 others were missing, including six believed to have been taken captive by the rebels, army spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said.
The MILF has been negotiating with the government to end more than four decades of conflict that has killed 120,000 people, displaced 2 million and hobbled growth in the poor but resource-rich Muslim areas in the south. (UNI)