Philippine military : 6 missing soldiers reported in MILF custody

Six of the 10 missing soldiers were reported held by the rebel forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) and the MILF Tuesday evening in the hinterland of Basilan province, the military said Wednesday. Randolf Cabangbang, Spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command (westmincom), said this was the information reaching him from the ceasefire team of the Coordinating Committee of the cessation of Hostility (CCCH). "The information is not clear yet as to their condition, but the reports disclosed that the six soldiers who were among those reported missing are in the custody of the MILF group which they encountered," Cabangbang said. "We can not ascertain yet as to the fate of the four others," he added citing that the government CCCH were coordinating for the recovery of the soldiers said to be in the custody of the MILF. Cabangbang said those 11 wounded were already brought to the military hospital in this city for treatment. The soldiers were tracking down the kidnap for ransom group on Tuesday when the MILF rebels attacked the soldiers, leaving big number of casualties in the village of Bakisung in AlBarka town.