Filipino troops, rebels forge truce after fighting kills 10

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops have forged a ceasefire with Muslim guerrillas after 10 combatants were killed in clashes in a southern village and frantic efforts were made to prevent an escalation that could threaten a major peace accord. The sporadic clashes erupted Tuesday and Wednesday in Ulitan village on the island province of Basilan, where emergency talks arranged by government and rebel mediators led to an indefinite ceasefire agreement late Thursday between army troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel commanders. The clashes left three soldiers dead and 15 others wounded, regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Abdurasad Sirajan said. The rebels reported seven insurgents dead and six others wounded. The conflict underscored the fragility of law and order in the country’s south.