MANILA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Civilian casualties are mounting in the southern Philippines, where fighting between Muslim guerrillas and the army has killed up to 187 people in the past 10 days, the military and a human rights official said on Wednesday. The military said about 60 civilians have been killed in attacks by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) renegades on towns in the south and in mortar shelling. In addition, 110 rebels and 17 soldiers have died, officers said. Leila de Lima, head of the Commission on Human Rights, told reporters at least 20 civilians were killed in one town on Sunday as the military pursued guerrillas responsible for the attacks. "About 20 civilians were killed three days ago due to heavy fighting in Piagapo town, but we can't tell whether these were results of direct attacks by the rebels or collateral damage by the bombing and shelling by military forces," she said. De Lima said the number of civilians killed or injured in the army offensive could be much higher but it was difficult to get a precise number because most of the areas remained inaccessible due to the fighting. It is the worst violence for years in the Mindanao region of the Christian-majority nation where the rebellion has prevented any significant development of some of the richest mineral and hyrdrocarbon resources in Southeast Asia. The fighting erupted early last week, days after a territorial agreement between the government and the rebels was halted by the Supreme Court on an appeal by local Christian leaders. Brigadier-General Jorge Segovia, chief of army's operations centre, blamed the rogue members of the MILF for the deaths of civilians, saying troops have been avoiding attacks on local communities. "We're not shelling or dropping bombs on villages," Segovia told Reuters, saying mortar fire from the rebels was erratic and falling on civilian areas. "It is these rogue MILF members who are behind burning of houses and murder of innocent civilians." Segovia said troops had seized about 15 rebel strongholds in North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Lanao provinces after a week of combat operations to punish rogue Muslim rebel groups. DISPLACED More than 360,000 people had been displaced by fighting in five provinces on the southern island of Mindanao, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council. About half of them were housed in 152 temporary shelters. De Lima criticised the government's lack of preparation in handling the growing number of people displaced by the fighting. "There's no comprehensive plan of action. This situation must be treated as a national concern of crisis proportions," she said. "There must be awareness on the part of government of the seriousness of the humanitarian and human rights situation as the number of internally displaced people are increasing day by day." De Lima said the rights body also opposed moves by government to distribute guns to local communities to defend themselves from rebel groups, saying it could escalate violence and pose more security problems. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Sanjeev Miglani)
Philippine Army soldiers carry boxes of ammunitions as they board a military plane bound for Mindanao, southern Philippines during a deployment at Villamor airbase in Manila August 10, 2008. Around 17,000 ...
