MANILA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Philippine troops killed at least 10 Muslim rebels in six hours of intense fighting in the troubled south of the country, officials said on Tuesday, citing radio intercepts. Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr said 15 rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were also wounded in the clash on Monday in mountains near Wao town in the Mindanao region. "We did not suffer any casualty in this encounter," Brawner told reporters, adding the rebels suffered heavy losses due to air strikes and artillery fire. "We could not confirm the actual casualty count, but, based on communications intercepts and our own intelligence, the rebels lost 10 fighters and 15 others were seriously wounded in air and ground attacks." Last week, the military ordered troops to scale down offensives against rogue MILF units to help hundreds of thousands of displaced people return to their homes and farms before the Christmas holidays. Nearly 300 people have been killed in nearly three months of fighting between security forces and renegades from the largest Muslim rebel group in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic state. The fighting has displaced more than 650,000 people. The 11,000-member MILF has been fighting for nearly 40 years to achieve self-determination. The conflict has killed more than 120,000 people and stunted growth in a region believed to be sitting on rich deposits of metals, oil and natural gas. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Sanjeev Miglani)
The boat called Don Dexter Cathlyn lies off Magcaraguit island in Dimasalang town in Masbate province, central Philippines November 5, 2008. At least 42 people, including eight children, were drowned and ...
