MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 4) At least six civilians, including children and a pregnant 18-year-old woman, died in military air strikes targeting Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Maguindanao province on Monday, local officials said.

The military would not comment on the allegations, saying they still had to receive reports about “collateral damage,” the term used for civilian casualties and damage to property caused by military operations.

Colonel Marlou Salazar, 602nd Infantry Brigade commander, would only confirm the deaths of seven alleged Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters in a clash with government troops inn Barangay (village) Tee, Datu Piang town.

But Mosib Tan, Datu Piang municipal administrator, said at least six children were hit by shrapnel during the air strikes and four of them later died.

Tan said the military operations had again swollen the number of evacuees in the town center as fleeing civilians flocked to the town square.

They had just returned home Friday to rebuild or repair homes damaged during earlier fighting and to observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in their own communities.

"I am so sad with the resumption of hostilities because it’s fasting month and the people are weak and tired of evacuating," Tan said.

Aminah Ali Lidasan, national president of the Suara Bangsamoro party list, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) that the civilians killed were all residents of Datu Piang.

The Maguindanao town is a bailiwick of MILF 105th Base Command chief Ameril Ombra Kato, who is the target of a military offensive after he allegedly led attacks on civilian communities in North Cotabato. Kato, against whom multiple criminal charges have been lodged, carries P10-million bounty on his head.

"We learned [of] the incident before noon. One of our colleagues is a native of Datu Piang," Lidasan said.

Eid Kabalu, MILF civil military affairs chief, identified the fatalities in the military operation as Daya and Vilma, both surnamed Manunggal; the 18-year-old newly wed and pregnant Aida; Kim, 7; Adtaya, 7; and Faiza, all surnamed Mandi.

Kabalu said they were all killed by bombs from military OV-10 planes.

He said two other civilians, Caharodin, 16; and Bailyn, 13; both surnamed Mandi, were wounded.

"There was no fighting in Datu Piang since yesterday. What happened was that the military launched air strikes. There [are] many soldiers right now in Datu Piang," Kabalu told the Inquirer by phone.

But Salazar would not deny nor confirm the reported deaths of four children.

"The operation is still ongoing," he said. "I am yet to receive reports on collateral damage, if any."

But earlier in the day, he had rejected reports of civilian casualties, telling journalists: "Those who claimed there were children fatalities were not in the area, [there were] no civilians there except government troops and MILF rebels."

Salazar said civilians started fleeing their homes Sunday night on seeing MILF fighters in the village. "They must have known that anytime there will be fighting."

He denied they used OV-10 planes in Monday’s operation against Kato.

But in an earlier interview, Salazar said Wahid Tondok, Kato’s operations officer, and MILF fighters he led fired at helicopter gun ships from Sitio (sub-village) Dagangin in Barangay Tee.

"MILF rebels using caliber .50 machine guns fired at two Huey helicopters at 9:30 a.m.," Salazar said.

And in Manila, Major General Hernanie Perez, chief of the Philippine Air Force’s 3rd Air Division, confirmed four planes dropped rockets early Monday morning in what he described as a “defensive move” after MILF rebels struck anew in Maguindanao towns.

“Because there was an encounter, we were directed to conduct air support...It was more of a defensive move to prevent the spread and escalation of violence,” said Perez, who leads the coordination of air raids in the south.

He said a pair of SF-260TP Warriors and OV-10 Broncos, both propeller attack planes, took to the air starting 8:49 a.m. Monday to drop rockets on targets identified by troops on the ground.

“We did not use heavy bombs yet...Panakot lang muna [These were just scare tactics],” Perez told the INQUIRER by phone Monday.

Salazar said about 50 guerillas were sighted in Sitio Dagangin early Sunday evening. This was the group that engaged troops around 9:55 a.m. Monday when the soldiers were sent to Tee to verify reports from civilians that they were being forced to leave their homes by the rebels.

"We were informed by civilians about the rebel sightings in the village of Tee. We have sent soldiers to the area and it's positive. The enemy also strafed our plane S-211 (Layang). It returned fire but we did not fire howitzers," Salazar said.

But Kabalu insisted no clashes happened between their fighters and soldiers.

"We have reported the incidents to the Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities but their function right now is limited," Kabalu said.

Mashud Salik, a volunteer of the Local Peace Monitoring Team (LPMT), who was one of those who took the civilians victims to the Municipal Health Center, said at least two children were wounded by shrapnel as Air Force planes drooped bombs at past 10 a.m.

Balilyn Raya, 10, and Guiamaludin Mandi, 13, were rushed to the Datu Piang Municipal Health Center where their parents were told by Dr. Elizabeth Samama, provincial physician, to take the victims to the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital in Shariff Aguak town or to the Cotabato Regional Medical Center in Cotabato City, for advanced treatment and surgery for severe shrapnel wounds.

Raya's wounds were serious, he said.

Around 10:30 a.m. some of the rebels attempted to escape on a pump boat (motorized outrigger canoe) through the Butelen Marsh but were spotted by passing Air Force aircraft. Although the fleeing rebels came under aerial attack, a few managed to escape.

Sporadic skirmishes are continuing as the military pursues the rebels, who Salazar said may have been reinforced. Salazar also said they believe Kato may be with the fighters.

Tan said several thousand residents had left Datu Piang since late Sunday after MILF guerrillas slipped into a nearby village.

Muslim clergy belonging to the Philippine Darul Ifta (House of Opinion), a collegial body of Islamic scholars and religious leaders, condemned the military operation.

"We condem it. The military should have respected the rights of the civilians. They cannot perform their fast well because they have to run every now and then," Uztads Esmael Ibrahim, spokesperson of Darul Ifta, told the Inquirer.

"The issue in Maguindanao is police matters. And there should be no use of bombs, cannons and more troops," he added.