ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines: Philippine troops clashed with about 30 Muslim rebels who took over a remote islet near southwestern beach resorts popular with foreign tourists, killing at least seven and capturing two, officials said on Wednesday.
Soldiers stormed the island of Matangule off Palawan province and liberated villagers held by former rebels. It was unclear why the gunmen led by MNLF leader Abdullah Abdurajak occupied the island, but the military said the former rebels had held hostage dozens of civilians since Sunday for a still unknown reason. The hostages were later freed but the rebels refused to surrender peacefully and opened fire on soldiers sent to liberate the villagers and a firefight ensued. One soldier was also wounded in the fighting.
The military said two gunmen were also captured during the fighting, but others escaped despite the presence of navy patrol boats around the island, home to a few thousand Muslims, mostly fishermen.
The MNLF, under Nur Misuari, signed a peace deal with Manila in September 1996 that ended decades of bloody war. After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region. But despite the peace accord, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted. Under the peace accord, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the South and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
