Manila - Nine Muslim separatist rebels were killed in a clash with government troops in a southern Philippine province, an army spokesman said Friday.

Five soldiers were also wounded in Thursday's firefight in Guindulungan town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce said.

Ponce said the troops were on patrol when they encountered some 60 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the village of Muti, triggering a two-hour clash.

"The fighting resulted in nine enemies killed and five wounded on the government side," he said. "All wounded soldiers are in stable condition."

The MILF is the largest Muslim rebel group fighting for the establishment of an independent Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao.

While the MILF has entered into peace talks with the Philippine government, the negotiations have been suspended since August 2008 after the rebels launched a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao.

Nearly 300 people have been killed and more than 500,000 were displaced due to the rebel attacks and subsequent fighting with the military.(dpa)