Video of Zamboanga fighting shows civilian hostages in the line of fire

ZAMBOANGA CITY – They were waving white flags and crying for a cease-fire in the middle or a road. Many were screaming as shots rang out, followed by a volley of automatic gunfire. Voices can be heard telling a group of civilians to stay put and later telling them to hit the ground as the shooting intensified.

Those were the scenes from a 3-minute video clip of a street battle between security forces and separatist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels who had taken more than more than 200 civilians and in Zamboanga City in September.