Tension again gripped the Province of Basilan as fresh fighting between government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels erupted in Ungkaya Pukan town on Monday.
Unconfirmed reports said more than 3,000 villagers from Barangay Sungkayot started vacating their homes when marines-backed government militiamen clashed with heavily armed men.
It said suspected MILF and Abu Sayyaf group members allegedly opened fire at the government forces, triggering a 15-minute gunbattle.
Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon told media in Manila that there was no direct fighting with the rebels. He said it was an incident of harassment.
"There was an M-203 round that was fired at our forward position and so our troops had to respond but after that, the would-be harrassers disengaged," he said.
But sources from MILF disclosed that more than 40 rounds of 105mm howitzers and 80mm mortars shook a Moro village in Basilan as marines backed police in serving the warrant of arrest to ten Abu Sayyaf militants.
A report posted at Luwaran.com website said the powerful pounding followed a late Monday afternoon clash between Marines and still unidentified armed group in Barangay Sungkayot, Pukan Ungkaya municipality.
It said the fighting sent fresh number of civilians to flee from the battle scene. The main brunt of the bombardment is sitio Boheh Marang, populated mostly by ethnic Yakans.
The report also said the Marines were conducted aggressive ground patrol when they chanced upon a group of armed men in said village, also moving head-on collision.
Earlier, reports from Luwaran.com said the MILF had urged has urged the government to lift immediately the food blockade around Basilan, saying this will starve to death civilians instead of members of the Abu Sayyaf.
Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, was quoted by Luwaran.com as saying that the food blockade is a violation of human rights and should be lifted immediately.
"The civilians are the victims here. It is an unethical approach," he lamented.
Last month, more than 6,000 people, mostly Moro women, children and elderly in Al-Barka fled their homes for fear they might be trapped if fighting erupts in the area.
Unconfirmed reports said more than 3,000 villagers from Barangay Sungkayot started vacating their homes when marines-backed government militiamen clashed with heavily armed men.
It said suspected MILF and Abu Sayyaf group members allegedly opened fire at the government forces, triggering a 15-minute gunbattle.
Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon told media in Manila that there was no direct fighting with the rebels. He said it was an incident of harassment.
"There was an M-203 round that was fired at our forward position and so our troops had to respond but after that, the would-be harrassers disengaged," he said.
But sources from MILF disclosed that more than 40 rounds of 105mm howitzers and 80mm mortars shook a Moro village in Basilan as marines backed police in serving the warrant of arrest to ten Abu Sayyaf militants.
A report posted at Luwaran.com website said the powerful pounding followed a late Monday afternoon clash between Marines and still unidentified armed group in Barangay Sungkayot, Pukan Ungkaya municipality.
It said the fighting sent fresh number of civilians to flee from the battle scene. The main brunt of the bombardment is sitio Boheh Marang, populated mostly by ethnic Yakans.
The report also said the Marines were conducted aggressive ground patrol when they chanced upon a group of armed men in said village, also moving head-on collision.
Earlier, reports from Luwaran.com said the MILF had urged has urged the government to lift immediately the food blockade around Basilan, saying this will starve to death civilians instead of members of the Abu Sayyaf.
Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, was quoted by Luwaran.com as saying that the food blockade is a violation of human rights and should be lifted immediately.
"The civilians are the victims here. It is an unethical approach," he lamented.
Last month, more than 6,000 people, mostly Moro women, children and elderly in Al-Barka fled their homes for fear they might be trapped if fighting erupts in the area.
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