MNLF rebel slain in clash with Army troopers

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – Government security forces shot dead an alleged follower of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari and wounded five others for disrupting a road project in Sultan Mastura town in this province.

Authorities have yet to identify the slain MNLF member.

The firefight erupted when the group of MNLF commander Kamlon shot at soldiers escorting construction workers to the project site in Barangay Bungabong.

Reports said Kamlon’s group is opposing a multimillion-peso road project that would connect villages to the town proper.

Kamlon and his men initially prevented the construction workers from going to the project site.

The workers returned with a team of soldiers from the Army’s 37th Infantry Battalion.

The firefight lasted more than five hours, according to village officials.

Two soldiers were wounded in the encounter. Their names were not immediately available.

Kamlon’s group was reportedly asking for protection money from the contractor of the road project.