MANILA, Philippines -- The military claimed on Tuesday to have killed 10 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and wounded 15 others in a six-hour battle in Lanao del Sur on Monday.

Two platoons of the 43rd Division Reconnaissance Company, troops of the 29th Infantry Battalion and members of the paramilitary Civilian Auxiliary Forces Geographical Units (Cafgus) clashed with some 150 MILF rebels under wanted commander Ahleem Sulaiman Pangalian in Sitio Unit 3, Park Area, in Barangay (Village) Sumogot, Wao town in Lanao del Sur at 8:45 a.m. Monday, said Major Randolph Cabangbang, Eastern Mindanao Command spokesperson.

Pangalian, one of the three MILF commanders being pursued by government troops for allegedly leading attacks on civilian villages in central Mindanao last August, was also allegedly behind the bombing of two power transmission lines in Barangay Panadtalan, Maramag town, Bukidnon last November 1, Cabangbang said.

Colonel Nicanor Dolojan, Commander of the 403rd Brigade said their count of rebel casualties came from intelligence and troop reports. There were no government casualties.

A B40 rocket, rebel uniforms, personal belongings, food and documents were seized by troops from the encounter site, Dolojan said.

He claimed the rebels intended targeting to attack the village of Sumogot.

“Because of the timely information provided to us by the people in the area plus the previous information and intelligence reports we have received, we were able to pre-empt those hostile plans [of] the MILF. That’s why we were able to launch security operations to thwart [the rebel’s] hostile plans,” Dolojan said.