ZAMBOANGA CITY, 9 March 2005 — At least three soldiers were wounded in fresh fighting yesterday between government and rebel forces in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, officials said.
An undetermined number of rebels from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Abu Sayyaf group were killed in the hinterland village of Lanao Dakula near Indanan town, the military claimed.
The fighting was the first since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last week rejected calls for a truce with the rebels, blamed for the deaths of 30 soldiers in fierce clashes last month in Jolo, about 950 km south of Manila.
The soldiers, members of the 35th Infantry Battalion, were tracking down the rebels when they ran into a group of about 80 gunmen and a firefight ensued.
The fighting broke out around 3.15 p.m. and continued well into the night, officials said, adding, more troops were sent to the town to reinforce the infantrymen.
President Arroyo rejected proposals for a cease-fire in Jolo and ordered the military to hunt down the gunmen led by Habier Malik, a supporter of detained MNLF leader Nur Misuari.
Jolo politicians have proposed for a cease-fire after weeks of fighting that forced more than 48,000 civilians to flee their homes, afraid that they would be caught in the cross-fire.
The fighting was triggered by simultaneous rebel attacks on military posts on Feb. 7 in retaliation for the death of a Muslim couple and their 14-year old son, who were killed by troops during clashes with the militant Abu Sayyaf group. Malik said the trio were civilians and not members of the Abu Sayyaf.
