Philippine troops launch fresh air strikes against Muslim rebels in south

www.chinaview.cn 2009-05-13 20:52:02

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    COTABATO, the Philippines, May 13 (Xinhua) -- State security forces dropped bombs on Muslim rebels’ position Wednesday in the restive southern Philippines, prompting thousands of civilians to flee homes for safety.
    The military used two OV-10 planes to disperse rebels, regional military spokesman Major Randolph Cabangbang told Xinhua by phone.
    "We also fired artillery towards their (enemy) position. As of now, we are still scouring if there are casualties on the enemy side in the area where the bombs and rockets landed," Cabangbang said.
    A clash also broke out between soldiers and hundreds of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country largest rebel organization, Wednesday morning in the township of Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, Cabangbang said.
    Cabangbang said the rebels under Ameril Umbra Kato, a field MILF commander with 283, 949 U.S. dollars bounties for his arrest.
    Kato led a series of attacks in the region last August, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced.
    Peace talks between the government and the 11,800-member MILF collapsed in August 2008 after the two sides failed to sign an agreement on ancestral domain, prompting some rebel commanders to launch deadly attacks on Christian communities in Mindanao.