3 Muslim rebels killed in southern Philippines

Philippine warplanes pounded Muslim rebel positions in the country's south on the third day of fighting sparked by a guerrilla attack on pro-government militiamen, the military said Saturday. Air force planes fired rockets at rebel mortar and machine gun positions Saturday before the fighting subsided around noon, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a spokesman for the army's 6th Infantry Division. He said a pro-government militiaman was killed Thursday, three rebels were killed on Friday and two soldiers wounded in the fighting Saturday. The latest clashes have occurred despite a 2003 truce between the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF.