Philippines

Rebels retreat from villages

Article published on the 2008-08-12 Latest update 2008-08-12 12:19 TU

A boy looks at his bicycle that was burned along with his house by MILF fighters in Takepan village, Pikit, North Cotabato
(Photo: Reuters)

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has started to withdraw its fighters from occupied villages in the southern Philippines after fighting with government troops that displaced almost 160,000 civilians. Nearly 3,000 Philippine troops and police have regained control of two occupied villages in North Cotabato province.

At least one soldier was killed and 15 others were wounded. An army spokesman said up to 31 rebels may have been killed in the clashes, while rebels claim only four men died.

Guerrilla spokesman Eid Kabalu said they were repositioning in line with the government's demands. However he said the pace of the withdrawal depended on the situation on the ground and called on army troops to stop firing.

Speaking from Manila, correspondent Girlie Linao told RFI the military stepped up their offensive after sporadic fighting delayed the rebels' movements.

"The military is trying to flush out all the rebels...initially there was an agreement the MILF would reposition their forces...but now the military has resorted to launching an offensive against the rebels," she says.

The latest fighting in the majority Muslim south comes at a crucial time in ongoing peace talks between the government and the rebels, who have been waging an insurgency for self-rule for decades.

The two sides signed a ceasefire five years ago and had reached agreement regarding a future expanded Muslim-run autonomous region, but the signing of the accord was halted last week by the Supreme Court.

The court was acting on a petition filed by southern Christian politicians who are worried about losing land and power to the Muslims.