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.