Six people have been reported killed and dozens wounded and trapped after more than 100 suspected members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) infiltrated several coastal villages in Zamboanga City before dawn Monday.
Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said in her official statement that the the fatalities include a navy personnel, a policeman and four civilians.
Twenty-four have also been wounded in the encounter between the government troops and the rebels that started around 4:30 a.m., according to Climaco.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said elite Navy personnel clashed with a group of at least 100 armed MNLF rebels on board a large motorboat and eight small vessels off the village of Rio Hondo, a crowded Muslim community in the port city.