KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay, 21 March — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday accused army soldiers of attacking its fighters despite a standing cease-fire between the two sides.

MILF spokesman Edi Kabalu said their fighters were on vacation in Barangay Mamagon of Kabasalan town when elements of the Philippine Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion launched a "lightning raid" against them.

Kabalu said the raid happened at 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday, and one MILF fighter identified as Kusain Salikan was killed. He said the raiders took his M16 assault rifle.

"The raiding team has also suffered a number of casualties," said Kabalu, citing witnesses. But he added that there was no independent confirmation on the report.

Kabalu also accused army soldiers of arresting four "innocent" civilian residents of a nearby area. He identified them as Potis Moro, Tararod Panagas, Julimain Kalim and a certain Edi. The four were reported to have been brought to the army’s headquarters at Ipil town, also in Zamboanga Sibugay province. He said the 33rd battalion is notorious for abuses and human rights violations in the province.

"Series of killings, salvaging, illegal arrest, torture and summary executions had been attributed to this particular military unit," said Kabalu, adding that the battalion’s officers and men seem to have no respect to the ongoing peace talks and truce between the government and the MILF.

There was no immediate comment from the military on the MILF report.

A press statement of the armed forces’ Southern Command headquarters yesterday made no mention of the supposed Kabasalan clash.

The statement said two people have been killed and nine other people, including two policemen, were wounded in clashes involving rogue guerrillas and communist rebels in the south.

It said an army unit fought with a rogue unit of the MILF near the town of Naga before dawn Tuesday, leaving two of the gunmen dead and five others wounded and captured.

Two government militiamen were also wounded in the clash, said military spokesman Captain Noel Detoyato. He said the gang is engaged in extortion.

Police, meanwhile, arrested a suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf group at the Zamboanga pier on Tuesday night.

The suspect, Mark Teodoro, is accused of taking part in the kidnapping of more than 50 students and teachers of a Roman Catholic school in the nearby island of Basilan in March 2000, said Superintendent Marvin Bola-bola.