Philippine military says 17 Muslim rebels killed

MANILA, Jan 28 (AFP): The Philippine military said Tuesday it had killed 17 militants opposed to a peace deal between the government and the country's main Muslim rebel group even as a bomb wounded two civilians.

The improvised explosive went off in Datu Piang town, near the scene of the fighting in what the military suspects is an attempt to divert their forces.

More than 1,500 troops are involved in the offensive against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in remote farming areas of the mainly Catholic country's Muslim south, regional military spokesman Colonel Dickson Hermoso said.

He said 17 BIFF members had been confirmed killed in this week's clashes, while two soldiers and one civilian were wounded in the fighting.

A pregnant woman and an eight-year-old girl were also wounded when the bomb went off near a marketplace shortly after noon, Hermoso said.

"It (the bomb) was planted where there are many innocent civilians. They want to relieve the pressure on their comrades that we have been pursuing," he told AFP.

The assault was launched on Monday, two days after the successful end of negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency that has killed tens of thousands.

The BIFF is a small group of militants opposed to the peace effort, which has carried out many deadly attacks in recent years in a bid to derail the peace process.

National military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said: "We consider them as peace spoilers, in that they may do actions that are detrimental to our peace process that is advancing greatly."