15 Muslim rebels killed in southern Philippines

Fifteen Muslim guerrillas were killed in a series of clashes with government troops in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman said yesterday.
Guerrillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) first fired mortar rounds at a military outpost in Pigkawayan town on the southern island of Mindanao before dawn on Wednesday, said Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando.
This was followed by a series of gun battles near the town which resulted in the deaths of the 15 rebels.
Government forces suffered no casualties, Ando said.
President Gloria Arroyo has stepped up military operations against the MILF on Mindanao, after the guerrillas launched a series of raids in August that left dozens of civilians dead, and many homes and businesses ruined.
The government said over 600,000 people have been affected by the fighting, and tens of thousands remain in evacuation camps scattered across Mindanao.
The rebel attacks began in August after the Supreme Court threw out a proposed deal that would have given the rebels control over a Muslim autonomous area.
Meanwhile, Muslim separatist rebels in the Philippines said Thursday they do not trust the government to reopen stalled peace talks and are seeking international intervention to resolve the issue.
Mohaqher Iqbal, chief negotiator for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) also blamed the government for the peace process stalling.
The Supreme Court in August stopped the government from signing a land deal with Muslim rebels intended to pave the way for a final peace accord, which led to renewed attacks and prompted President Gloria Arroyo to suspend the talks.
Arroyo has said she would now focus on disarming the rebels before any further negotiations.
"The government is more responsible for the collapse of the talks, they have to answer for that," Iqbal said.
Asked what was needed to revive negotiations, Iqbal said "we need an international guarantee.
"We have no more trust in the Philippine government. It is like the executive, judiciary and legislative all united to kill the peace process."
Despite the halt in the talks, Iqbal said the MILF was still not yet disbanding its peace panel although he remarked that this remained an "option" for the rebels.
He did not specify which international agency could guarantee the reopening of the negotiations although previous negotiations have been fostered by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC).
The renewed fighting by the 12,000-member MILF since August has claimed dozens of lives and displaced more than half a million people in the southern island of Mindanao.