BY VICTOR REYES

RENEGADE Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels attacked at least six military positions in Central Mindanao MONDAY |SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 | PHILIPPINESin what the Armed Forces said was part of the secessionists' shifting to guerrilla-type operations.

The attacks also showed the rebels were not observing the Muslims' holy month of Ramadan which started September 1, said Maj. Armand Rico, spokesman of the Eastern Mindanao Command.

The military has limited the use of its artillery assets and conduct of air strikes in deference to the observance of Ramadan.

There were no casualties on the side of the government in the six attacks but the rebels suffered an undetermined number of casualties, said Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, chief of the AFP public information office.

Torres said government troops were prepared as they had expected the splintered MILF groups to launch small-scale guerrilla-type attacks.

Three of the attacks were in Maguindanao, base of the MILF's 105th Base Command led by Commander Ameril Umbra Kato, one of three commanders being pursued by the military.

Kato led the occupation of 15 barangays in North Cotabato in July. He has a P10 million reward on his head.

Two other attacks were in North Cotabato and the six in Lanao del Norte where in August, four towns were attacked by Commanders Abdulrahman Macapaar alias Bravo, who has P10 million bounty, and Aleem Pangalian, P5 million.

The military launched an offensive August 18 after the attack in Lanao del Norte and Iligan City.

In one of the attacks in North Cotabato, the rebels used machine guns against the detachment of the 40th Infantry Battalion in Bagolibas village, Aleosan town, Rico said.

The rebels were positioned some 500 meters from the patrol base and attacked at 11:10 p.m. Troops repelled the rebels after about five-minute firefight, Rico said.

Seven minutes earlier, the rebels attacked a detachment of the 38th Infantry Battalion. The attackers withdrew also after five minutes, Rico said.

Lt. Col. Edgardo de Leon, commander of the 73rd Infantry Battalion, said government troops on MONDAY |SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 | PHILIPPINES seized a rebel position in Maasim town in Sarangani after two days of fighting.

He said the rebels, who were responsible for the attack on the town hall last month, have been occupying the area in Sitio Macao2 for some four weeks.

De Leon said they have information from residents that at least 20 rebels died in the operations although government forces recovered only one rebel body in the area.

He was identified as Nasser Benito, who served as the guide of the rebels in attacking Maasim town hall.

De Leon said Benito used to run errands for the town's chief of police, Senior Insp. Joefel Remurado, who identified the slain rebel.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Alexander Yano said there would be no change in the policy to minimize the use of aircraft in the pursuit operations in deference to the observance of Ramadan.

Yano said commanders will use such fire power in "extreme necessity, when there is a real threat and there is a real consolidation of enemy forces which happened during that (Datu Piang) incident."

He was referring to the September 7 air strikes which killed six civilians.

Authorities are determining why the civilians were with MILF members, aboard 10 pumpboats, who fired at a military plane that was to provide air support for troops engaged in a firefight with the rebels on the ground.