Gunmen kill 12 in south Philippines

At least a dozen people were killed and nine wounded when unidentified gunmen ambushed a truck in a remote area in southern Philippines…

At least a dozen people were killed and nine wounded when unidentified gunmen ambushed a truck in a remote area in southern Philippines.

Military officials said the truck was attacked in Zamboanga del Norte province on the island of Mindanao, 800 km south of Manila.

Of the 12 killed, three were security guards working for a mining company and nine were civilians.

Military officials said it was not immediately clear who attacked the truck or why, but troops had been sent to hunt the gunmen in an area where Muslim militants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are known to be active.

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On Tuesday, a bomb believed to have been planted by the MILF killed at least 13 people, including a town mayor, in nearby Maguindanao province on Mindanao island. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu has denied the group's involvement in Tuesday's attack.

The MILF is the biggest Muslim rebel group fighting for an independent state in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country.