MANILA - A TRUCK contracted by the UN's World Food Programme to deliver aid in the strife-torn southern Philippines has been ambushed, leaving one person dead, the agency's country head told AFP on Monday.

The vehicle had just returned from Lanao del Sur province on Sunday night when it was attacked by armed men, said WFP country representative Stephen Anderson.

'It ran into an ambush at 7.00 pm last night that led to the loss of life of one individual,' Mr Anderson said. 'We strongly deplore this senseless loss of life.'

The victim was identified as a Filipino working for the trucking company contracted by WFP to deliver the aid supplies, he added.

He said it was not clear which group had attacked the truck, although the area where the incident occurred is infested by Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels and smaller armed gangs.

'I don't have any conclusion' on who was responsible for the attack, Mr Anderson said, adding that the UN agency was cooperating with the authorities that were investigating the ambush.

It was also not clear whether the attack would affect WFP's operations, Mr Anderson said, adding that they were still gathering information from police and military officials in the area.

He said it was 'too early to say' whether the truck was targeted because it was engaged by the WFP or because the attackers knew it was being used to ferry relief aid.

Mr Anderson said the attack occurred near the Lanao town of Calanogas, adding that the truck was carrying three people, all of whom were Filipinos.

'WFP strives to continuously ensure the safety and security of all our staff, including all contracted staff, in order to reach difficult to access areas,' he said.

'WFP will share more information as it is made available to us by the concerned government authorities,' he said.

Mr Anderson there would be no immediate change in the deployment of WFP aid workers on Mindanao island, stressing that following certain rules and precautions would enable aid workers to operate 'even under difficult conditions.'

The agency has been delivering tons of food aid since August, when the 12,000-strong MILF launched a series of attacks across several provinces.

More than half-a-million people were displaced at the onset of the fighting, and while many of them have returned home since, tens of thousands remain in evacuation camps, aid agencies say.

Peace talks with the group are technically suspended, after the Philippines' Supreme Court earlier ruled that a proposed deal giving the MILF control over an autonomous region was illegal and unconstitutional. -- AFP