MILF rebels kill six in village attack

AFP - Six people were killed when Muslim separatist guerrillas attacked a village in the southern Philippines, military officials said on Thursday.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels attacked Midtungo village in the southern island of Mindanao with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles on Tuesday, said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando.

The militants killed six residents and wounded another, he said, adding that troops had been sent to the area to hunt for the attackers.

As many as 400 families fled the village after the attack, said town social welfare officer Edmund Corder.

However MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied there had been an attack and accused the military of trying to provoke the separatist group.

The government suspended peace talks with the MILF after the group launched attacks across Mindanao in August to protest a court order stopping a deal that would have given the rebels control over a Muslim autonomous region.

More than 600,000 people were displaced in fighting that followed, while dozens of civilians, guerrillas and soldiers have been killed.