Asia-Pacific News
Woman dead, four hurt as police, Muslim rebels clash in Philippines
Jan 30, 2008, 11:00 GMT
Zamboanga City, Philippines - A female civilian was killed and four others were injured in a clash between policemen and Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines, police and local officials said.
The firefight erupted at dawn in the village of Lakiki in Sibuco town in Zamboanga del Norte province, 780 kilometres south of Manila, according to police Senior Superintendent Mario Yanga.
Yanga said armed men led by a commander of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front attacked policemen in the village for still unknown reasons.
Three policemen were hurt in the clash, he added.
Sibuco town Mayor Norbi Edding said a woman was killed in the crossfire and another civilian hurt.
He added that the fighting forced some 1,000 residents to flee their homes.
The MILF is the largest Muslim rebel group fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao.
The group is holding peace talks with the government, but the negotiations were suspended last December after the two sides failed to resolve key issues about a proposed Muslim homeland in Mindanao.
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