Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels patrol a farming village in Sultan Kudarat province in the southern Philippines. The MILF has protested Wednesday 04 Oct 2006 an attack on its members in Maguindanao province by government troops. (Juan Magtanggol)

SULTAN KUDARAT (Juan Magtanggol / 04 Oct) – Government troops allegedly attacked Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels near a mosque on a village in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines.

One rebel was wounded in the attack, blamed by the MILF on the Philippine Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion in Matanog town. The attack occurred on Monday, according to the rebel’s website luwaran.com.

“We were about pray in the mosque nearby when the government soldiers fired at our position, but we did not return fire because we have a cease-fire agreement with the government,” one rebel said.

The rebels reported the attack to their commanders. “Instead of engaging the government troops in a firefight, we told our immediate commander to inform the MILF cease-fire committee of the incident in order to defuse the tension,” he added.

Von Al Haq, chairman of the MILF cease-fire committee, said the attack was a violation of the five-year old truce agreement. The military said the soldiers, who were patrolling the village, clashed with an unidentified group of armed men and not MILF rebels.

Manila is currently negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate Islamic state in the restive southern region. (Mindanao Examiner)