MILF owns up to ambushes in Zamboanga Sibugay

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Friday owned up to Thursday’s two ambush incidents in Zamboanga Sibugay but justified it as a retaliatory attack against the military.

Von Al Haq, MILF spokesperson, the two ambush incidents were prompted by artillery attacks on MILF camps in Zamboanga Sibugay.

“That’s the consequences of their action. It’s retaliation … part of war. Soldiers have been indiscriminately pounding our position and civilian areas in Bayao town,” he said.

Rebels ambushed two army convoys and a joint-military-police patrol on the strife-torn southern island of Mindanao late on Thursday, killing six government men and wounding eight others, authorities said.

The attacks came two days after MILF forces killed 19 soldiers on the remote southern island of Basilan in one of the worst outbreaks of violence between the two sides in years.

The MILF has said five of its own fighters were killed in that clash. Agence France-Presse