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First Posted: 7/30/2013
(AP) The Philippine military says breakaway Muslim rebels have attacked an oil tanker truck and placed two bombs along a highway in a restive southern province, sparking gun battles with soldiers that killed eight insurgents.
Regional military spokesman Col. Dickson Hermoso says the driver of the oil tanker, which was hit by rifle fire on Tuesday, prevented a disaster by speeding away from dozens of gunmen from the Bangsamoro Islamic Liberation Movement toward an army outpost in Guindolongan town in Maguindanao province. Government troops closed the highway for several hours as they battled the insurgents and defused two bombs on a roadside.
The breakaway rebels are attempting to sabotage peace talks between the government and the main insurgent group, the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Associated Press