Iligan City, Philippines  - Three soldiers were wounded in a clash with Muslim separatist rebels in the southern Philippines, a military brigade commander said Monday.

Colonel Benito De Leon said the fighting erupted Sunday when patrolling soldiers encountered Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Salvador town in Lanao del Norte province, 855 kilometres south of Manila.

De Leon said the guerrillas also suffered casualties in the hour-long battle, which ended when reinforcing government troops fired howitzers, forcing the rebels to flee.

"The three wounded soldiers were brought to a nearby hospital and were undergoing treatment," he said.

On Thursday, two powerful homemade bombs exploded in two shopping centres in nearby Iligan City, killing three people and wounding more than 40.

The MILF is the largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao. It has been waging a secessionist struggle since 1978.

In August, MILF rebels launched a series of attacks in Mindanao to protest a Supreme Court ruling to stop the signing of a key agreement that would have expanded an existing autonomous Muslim region.

More than 200 people were killed in the attacks and subsequent fighting. More than 500,000 people were also displaced at the height of the fighting. (dpa)