Rebels attack village in Philippines

SURALLAH, Philippines, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is being blamed for a second attack on a village in the southern Philippines, police said Saturday.

An estimated 40 gunmen burned three homes Friday night and forced villagers to flee from Upper Sepaka in the township of Surallah in south Cotabato province, police Superintendent Jose Calimutan said.

Members of the militant group last week ambushed and killed a chieftain in the village and another 300 rebels were seen in T'boli, Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported Saturday.

The government has sent additional soldiers and police to secure the area and hunt for the attackers.

The rebels claim the region as an ancestral Muslim domain and want it designated as an autonomous state, authorities said.