Filipino troops said to kill five Muslim rebels

Zamboanga - At least five Muslim guerrillas were killed in a clash with government troops late Friday in the southern Philippines, military officials said today.

The clash came as troops stepped up their offensive against the Abu Sayyaf separatist guerrillas.

Eleven soldiers and an unknown number of rebels were wounded in the three-hour gun battle in the mountainous jungles of Jolo Island, about 600 miles south of Manila, said Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya.

Military officials said they expected more clashes with the rebels as troops hunted an Abu Sayyaf faction that the government believes played a leading role in the kidnapping of 21 foreigners from a nearby Malaysian resort nearly thee years ago.

All but one of the hostages, a Filipino resort worker, have been released. In other kidnapping cases, Abu Sayyaf has beheaded some hostages and released others in return for ransom. Last year two hostages, an American missionary and a Filipino nurse, were shot dead during a military rescue operation.

Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the south of the Philippines.-- Reuters

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