Troops bombard rebel hideouts

Troops bombard rebel hideouts

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Reuter): Government troops yesterday
bombarded mountain hideouts of fundamentalist guerrillas accused
of bombings and kidnappings in the southern Philippines, the
region's military commander said.

Troops launched ground and air assaults around Patikul in Sulu
island to flush out rebels belonging to the radical Abu Sayyaf
group.

"This is an operation against the lawless elements who have
been conducting kidnapping, extortion and a lot of criminal
activities," Maj. Gen. Orlando Soriano, chief of the country's
Southern Command, said.

"We shelled them... and we have two helicopter gunships which
are giving our troops some aerial support," he said before flying
to the main Sulu town of Jolo.

"The latest report says our troops are receiving mortar fire
so we have to retaliate with our weapons also," he said. He had
no reports of casualties.

Abu Sayyaf is a fundamentalist group opposed to peace talks
between the main Moslem force, the Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF), and the government.