Philippine army sends reinforcements to southern island after clash

May 26, 2008, 7:08 GMT

Zamboanga City, Philippines - Fresh troops arrived Monday on a southern Philippine island to replace marines who engaged Muslim militants in a fierce gunbattle that killed two rebels and wounded 17 soldiers, an official said.

Rear Admiral Emilio Madayag, a regional navy chief in the southern region of Mindanao, said the new marine forces comprising of 500 men will be deployed in three towns in Basilan province, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila.

Madayag said the troops will take over their posts in the towns of Lamitan, Ungkaya Pukan and Tipo-Tipo Central before sundown.

'We don't have any intention to put more troops in the area,' he said. 'We are just maintaining the same number of forces.'

On Sunday, marines battled combined forces of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas and al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants in Ungkaya Pukan.

Hundreds of civilians living in the area to flee their homes to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Both the MILF and the military accused each other of starting the combat, and armed forces authorities filed a complaint against the rebels for violating a 2001 ceasefire agreement with the government.

Peace talks between the MILF and the government have been stalled since December last year over disagreements on issues related to ancestral domain which included a provision for the expansion of the current five-province autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao.