Military officials say 20 Muslim rebels and seven soldiers have been killed in clashes in the southern Philippines.
Military
spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce said Saturday that soldiers
clashed with about 80 Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas Friday
near the town of Mamasapano on the island of Mindanao.
Ponce said that clearing operations are ongoing, adding that five soldiers had been wounded.
The
military said that the rebels were believed to be under the command of
Ameril Umbra Kato, one of the commanders who led a bloody rampage that
killed dozens of civilians in several communities following the
cancellation of a preliminary peace deal last year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
