RP forces kill 11 rebels, 17 U.S. advisers arrive<\/p>\n
Agencies, Isabela, Philippines<\/p>\n
Philippine special forces troops on Friday killed 11 members of
\nthe Abu Sayyaf, a Moro guerrilla group holding an American couple
\nhostage on a southern island, officials said.<\/p>\n
Troops from the Light Reaction Company, a crack special forces
\nteam trained by the U.S. military, tracked down a band of Abu
\nSayyaf men on the outskirts of Isabela town and killed 11 of them
\nin a 15-minute gunfight, Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu told reporters.<\/p>\n
The bodies of two of the rebels were found while the
\nretreating guerrillas took away the rest of the dead, said
\nCimatu, the southern commander of the Philippine military.<\/p>\n
Two soldiers were wounded, he said.<\/p>\n
On Friday, 17 U.S. military advisers arrived in Zamboanga city
\non the southern island of Mindanao, near Basilan island, to
\nadvise Manila in its fight against the Moro rebel group.<\/p>\n
"We have agreed that we will listen to U.S. experts and their
\nadvice," Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said.<\/p>\n
"We should not be surprised if we will be seeing a lot of
\nAmerican soldiers showing up in Zamboanga, because that is where
\nthey are going to do the training."<\/p>\n
She said the troops would not take a combat role in fighting
\nthe Abu Sayyaf, which the U.S. has branded a terrorist group with
\npossible links to Osama bin Laden.<\/p>\n
"It's very clear that I had told (U.S. President George W.
\nBush) that I draw the line (at) soldiers on the ground, and that
\nhe respects the line I have drawn," Arroyo said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Arroyo said on Friday her government is preparing
\nto take custody of a renegade Muslim governor arrested in
\nMalaysia, adding she did not want him to burden her neighbor for
\nlong.<\/p>\n
"I am very grateful to Prime Minister Mahathir (Mohamad)
\nbecause of his really all-out cooperation with the Philippines
\nregarding the issue of Nur Misuari," Arroyo told a news
\nconference. "I do not want his support to become a burden on his
\ngovernment."<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said
\nthat the detention of Misuari had put his government in a tight
\nspot and feared his prolonged detention could sour ties with
\nManila.<\/p>\n
In another development, Philippine officials have asked
\nMalaysia to let a Filipino diplomat visit detained Muslim leader
\nNur Misuari, the two governments said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The visit would be the first public step taken by both
\ncountries in determining the fate of the guerrilla leader-turned
\ngovernor, who had fled to the Malaysian state of Sabah last month
\nafter mounting a failed armed revolt in the southern Philippines
\nthat left more than 150 people dead.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rp-forces-kill-11-rebels-17-us-advisers-arrive-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}