Rebels Attack Philippines Town
Muslim rebels have killed at least five people, including a child, in an attack on a mainly Christian town in the south of the country, the Philippine army said. An army spokesman, Major Julieto Ando, said guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fired rocket-propelled grenades into houses in the predominantly Christian town of M’Lang. He said soldiers later killed five rebels in a gun battle. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu admitted attacking the town, but said the target had been a military detachment and that civilians might have been caught in crossfire. The renewed violence came as government negotiators left Manila to try and revive peace talks with the MILF. The 12,500-strong group has fought a 25-year campaign for an Islamic state in the southern third of the largely Christian Philippines. Full Story