Rebels surrender as RP military presses assault

Rebels surrender as RP military presses assault

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Agencies): Fifteen more Muslim rebels
surrendered Tuesday on a southern island where the military is
continuing a 25-day assault to rescue five hostages, including
three Malaysians and an American, a military official said.

The 15 Abu Sayyaf guerrillas surrendered in a remote area of
Talipao town on Jolo island under pressure from the assault, army
Col. Ernesto de Guzman said.

Military officials said they expect many more rebels will turn
themselves in because of fatigue and a lack of food and
ammunition.

Five hungry and tired rebels surrendered Sunday.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Generoso Senga said a top rebel
commander, Ghalib "Robot" Andang, has also sent surrender feelers
to a general involved in the assault.

The five rebels who surrendered Sunday told the military where
they had been hiding on Jolo and provided other information that
could help troops track down the remaining guerrillas, Senga
said.

"They were really tired and had no food to eat," Senga said in
a radio interview.

Military officials said some guerrillas have hidden their
weapons and merged with villagers to escape the assault.

Government troops clashed three times Monday with small groups
of rebels in Talipao, a rebel stronghold, but there were no
reports of casualties, the military said.

The 20 rebels who have surrendered so far were all members of
an Abu Sayyaf faction led by Andang and Mujib Susukan. The two
led the abduction of 21 tourists and workers from a Malaysian
diving resort in April. The rebels later abducted dozens more
hostages.

Most of the hostages have been released after the payment of
more than $15 million in ransom by Libya and Malaysia,
negotiators say. The rebels are still holding five hostages -
three Malaysians, an American and a Filipino.

Malaysian Ambassador Manzoor Hussein Arshad appealed to the
rebels to release the hostages without conditions. He said
Malaysia fully supports Philippine government efforts to resolve
the kidnappings.

Governor Abdusakur Tan said the offensive has forced about
82,000 people to flee their homes in the hills and mountains of
Jolo, where air force planes and government troops are bombarding
the rebels with rockets, artillery and gunfire.

Military officials say 129 guerrillas have been killed and 53
others have been captured in 57 clashes during the assault, which
is likely to take at least two more weeks.

Five soldiers and three militiamen have been killed and 16
other soldiers injured in the assault in Jolo, about 940
kilometers south of Manila.

The rebels say they are fighting for a separate Islamic state
in the southern Philippines, but the government regards them as
bandits.

Meanwhile, in another development, President Joseph Estrada on
Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of criminal charges against three
top leaders of the country's largest Moslem separatist group in a
bid to convince the rebels to resume stalled peace talks.

National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre said the Justice
Department has been directed to initiate "legal moves" to drop
the charges against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman
Hashim Salamat, vice-chairman Murad Ebrahim and spokesman Ed
Cabalu.

Salamat, Murad and Cabalu have been charged with multiple
murder and multiple attempted murder for a series of bombings in
the capital and in the southern region of Mindanao since April.

"The move to withdraw the criminal charges against the three
top leaders is being done to pave the way for the resumption of
the peace talks," Aguirre said in a statement.

The government has been trying to get the MILF back to the
negotiating table since after a three-month military campaign
that resulted in the capture of the rebel group's camps and main
headquarters in the southern region of Mindanao.

Estrada earlier offered cash rewards for the arrest of
Salamat, Murad and Cabalu, but later withdrew it after government
negotiators warned the bounty would jeopardize backdoor talks.