COTABATO CITY, Philippines, 25 March — In another violation of a standing truce, army soldiers clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters on Saturday and both sides gave themselves a pat on the back.

Both sides yesterday said fighting erupted in part of the MILF’s Camp Abubakar in Buldon town of Maguindanao, part of which had been captured by the military.

The military claimed that four separatist rebels and one soldier were killed.

Local army spokesman Maj. Julieto Ando said MILF fighters fired mortars toward an army detachment on Saturday, prompting a swift response by the soldiers. He said five improvised land mines apparently planted by the separatists to slow down pursuing troops were recovered.

An MILF commander had a different story.

Commander Gordon Saifullah of the MILF’s GHQ Division made no mention of any casualty, admitting army troops were able to penetrate the MILF’s Sultan Base inside Camp Abubakar.

But, he said, the "intruders" beat a hasty retreat after separatist fighters mounted a counterattack and threw a cordon around. He said the army men have not gotten any support for the past three days and MILF fighters were raring to teach them a lesson.

However, Saifullah said, the "intruders" managed to slip out of the cordon on Saturday night, taking advantage of a heavy downpour.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said "the assault on Sultan Base is a test mission to determine the presence of MILF forces in the elevated parts of Camp Abubakar."

Kabalu had laughed off the military’s claim of capturing the MILF’s main camp.

He said what government troops are occupying is just a piece of land that used to house separatist headquarters.

Kabalu said that the MILF simply moved its headquarters when it assumed a mobile combat formation after the military’s "all-out offensive" in mid-2000.

Last year when Gloria Arroyo assumed the presidency from the disgraced Joseph Estrada, the government resumed peace talks with the MILF, the largest Moro armed group fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

Despite repeated violations of a cease-fire agreement signed between the two groups last year in Kuala Lumpur, the truce is still standing.