DEATH toll in fighting between government forces and MNLF rebels in Zamboanga City climbed to 110 on Thursday with 196 others wounded, Armed Forces (AFP) reports said.
The latest government fatalities on the 11th day of fighting was a junior army officer while 15 rogue MNLF rebels also surrendered early Thursday, military reports said.
AFP Spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said the Army junior officer was killed along with two rebels following a firefight in at Brgy. Sta. Barbara in Zamboanga City.
The military spokesman named the latest government casualti as 1Lt John Kristopher Rama, 30, member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 2008 and native of Norzagaray, Bulacan.
Rama is a US trained and member of the 1st Light Reaction Company and served as team leader of assault troops conducting clearing operation in the said village.
Tutaan said that as of press time more or less 20 hostages were still in the hands of rouge MNLF led by their commander Habier Malik.
Record showed that there were 179 hostages rescued; seven civilians killed and 69 others wounded.
On the government forces; there were 12 soldiers killed; 108 wounded; three policemen killed and 12 wounded while on the enemy side, MNLF incurred 88 killed; 9 wounded and 108 surrendered since September 9.
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