3 killed, 3 hurt as soldiers, Muslim rebels clash in S. Philippines

COTABATO CITY, Philippines, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed while three others were injured in a clash between soldiers and members of the rogue group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in southern Philippines Friday morning, a local official said.

Hundreds of residents in Kabasalan village, Pikit town in North Cotabato province were also forced to flee their homes just before dawn after fighting broke out between government troops and the bandits.

Teng Lidasan, village chief of Kabasalan, said mortar fire killed a farmer and a teenager. A BIFF member also died in the explosion.

Three villagers, including a teenager, were injured in the incident.

Lidasan said fighting erupted after BIFF rebels attacked soldiers positioned in the area.

Both the BIFF and the Philippine military denied that they fired mortars in the area. But Col. Orlando Edralin, commander of the 7th Infantry Brigade, admitted that the military is pursuing around 80 BIFF members led by a certain commander.

The BIFF, which broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), has carried out deadly attacks in recent months to derail peace negotiations between the MILF and the government.