Muslim separatist guerrillas killed two members of a rival faction group in an ambush in the southern Philippines, the military said in Zamboanga Friday.
Eight armed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) waylaid members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Maguindanao province's Talayan town on Thursday, killing two of them, the military said.
The MNLF faction retaliated, triggering gun battles in the area, the military's southern command said.
Both groups are fighting for control of the town, where for years Muslim separatists have collected illegal "revolutionary taxes" from residents, the military said.
The 12,500-strong MILF is fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines and split from the MNLF in 1978.
It was left out of a peace accord between Manila and the MNLF in 1996, during which the MNLF opted for limited self-rule in the south.
The MILF meanwhile is to resume peace negotiations with Manila this month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP)
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