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At least 200 people have been taken hostage in southern Philippines after rebels rampaged through coastal communities, leaving at least six people dead, local news reports say. The fighting happened after troops backed by tanks blocked Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels from marching into Zamboanga city to raise their flag at a city hall, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said yesterday.
At least six people, including a naval soldier, were killed and about 220 civilians have been taken hostage by the rebels, military officials said after the pre-dawn attack.
Zagala said that the hostages were being held as “human shield”, but army spokesman Brigadier General Domingo Tutaan said about 200-300 people were “stranded” in a village occupied by the rebels.
Army officials said they have secured hospitals and schools but clashes were still ongoing. The Philippine aviation authority has shut down the city’s airport.
Claire Jose, a regional health officer in Zamboanga, told Al Jazeeera that the city looked like a “ghost town” because of a widespread shutdown.
“We are contained in our houses,” Jose said.
Meanwhile, Abdul Sahrin, secretary general of the Moro National Liberation Front, blamed the faction of Nur Misuari for carrying out the attack. Misuari is a former MNLF leader, who previously entered into a peace agreement with the Philippine government.
The pre-dawn clash later spilled into Rio Hondo as people slept, prompting scores of residents to flee and with rebels taking up the hostages to thwart government forces, officials said.
Reinforcement troops and police have been deployed to help secure Rio Hondo, which is located near the central Zamboanga, a bustling trading hub in the south.
Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar ordered all schools and offices to remain closed.
“Their target is the City Hall. They want to raise their flag of independence at city hall,” she told radio station DZBB on Monday.
The Moro group signed a 1996 peace accord with the government, but many of its fighters held on to their arms and accused officials of reneging on a promise to develop an autonomous region for minority Muslims in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. — AP
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