7 killed as Philippine troops clash with Muslim rebels

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine troops have clashed with Muslim guerrillas in a southern village. The violence left at least three soldiers and four rebels dead and sparked fears that an escalation could threaten a 2014 peace pact that has considerably eased years of heavy fighting. The sporadic clashes erupted this week in a village in Ungkaya Pukan town on the island province of Basilan, where leaders of the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front separately ordered their forces to halt the fighting and allow de-escalation talks on Thursday. Under the 2014 peace pact, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front dropped its secessionist demand in exchange for a more powerful and better-funded Muslim autonomous region.