At least nine people were killed and dozens injured when Philippine security forces clashed with dozens of slum dwellers in a northern province, police said today.
Raul Gonzales, police chief in the northern Cordillera area, said soldiers and police officers traded gunfire with dozens of people illegally occupying private land in Kalinga province yesterday.
He said police were ambushed on their way to the community that was to be demolished for squatting, and that security forces only defended themselves after residents dug foxholes and opened fire with automatic rifles.
The security forces said they asked the civilians to lay down their weapons but were forced to fire back when the people continued shooting.
Police seized assault rifles, shotguns, grenades and ammunition from the squatters after fighting stopped, Mr Gonzales added.
The security forces were sent to guard a demolition crew ordered to tear down the houses by a local court.