Philippine President Benigno Aquino has called a meeting with top military officials Friday to assess the security situation in the south, following the death of 19 soldiers in fighting with the region's largest Muslim rebel group.

Army special forces clashed Tuesday with hundreds of members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Basilan island.

The military reported that 13 soldiers were wounded and several missing. Security officials say at least six rebels were killed.

The fighting erupted at dawn Tuesday, as soldiers investigated reports of rebel incursions and kidnappings by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the island's southeast. The military and rebels blamed each other for provoking the fighting.

Peace talks between Philippine officials and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front hit a snag early last month, when the MILF said government and rebel peace proposals offered during negotiations in Malaysia were so far apart there was no point in restarting talks.

The talks are aimed at ending a revolt that began in the 1970s and has claimed at least 150,000 lives. All prior attempts at peace talks have ended in failure.