25 killed in S. Philippine skirmishes

Twenty-five people, including two soldiers and 23 Muslim militants, have been killed in the series of firefights in southern Philippine province of Maguindanao since late Tuesday afternoon, the military said Wednesday.

The intense fighting occurred in areas in the boundaries of Datu Salibo and Datu Piang and in Pusao village, Sharif Saidona Mustapha, all in Maguindanao province, said Harold Cabunoc, the Philippine military's public information office chief.

The troops were supported by four MD520 attack helicopters and artillery units during the conduct of operations.

As of Wednesday, Cabunoc said the government troops accounted 23 killed among the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), the splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest Muslim rebel group in the country.

The latest fatalities brought the total number of those killed from the BIFF to 96 since the start of the clearing operations in Pikit town in southern province of Cotabato in the first week of February this year.

On the government side, two soldiers were reported killed in action while two others were hurt in the clash in DatuSaibo and DatuPiang. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has logged six soldiers killed and 31 wounded since the start of the all-out law enforcement operations against the BIFF in Maguindanao.

"The pursuit operations were still ongoing in the marshland where the bandits split into small groups. Sporadic clashes erupted in the area at 10:00 a.m. today," Cabunoc said. Endi