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Three soldiers, eight rebels killed in Philippine clashes Updated at: 0802 PST, Tuesday, November 18, 2008 COTABATO: Three soldiers and eight Muslim separatist rebels have been killed in fresh fighting in the southern Philippines, local and military officials said Tuesday. Soldiers clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels near the town of Mamasapano on Mindanao island on Sunday evening after the guerrillas attacked an army base. "The rebels attacked the army base while they (troops) were eating," town mayor Akmad Tato Ampatuan told reporters, adding that there were overnight exchanges of mortar fire between the two sides. Running gun battles that followed left eight MILF rebels dead, said local army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando. Ampatuan said three soldiers were also killed in the gunbattles. Troops recovered two automatic rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, MILF uniforms, and ammunition. The government suspended peace talks with the MILF after two guerrilla commanders attacked several towns and provinces across Mindanao in August to protest a court order stopping a deal that would have given the rebels control over a Muslim autonomous region. More than 600,000 people were displaced in fighting that followed, while dozens of civilians, guerrillas and soldiers have been killed so far.