Troops kill nine Abu Sayyaf rebels

Troops kill nine Abu Sayyaf rebels

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines: At least nine members of the Abu
Sayyaf kidnap group were killed in airstrikes and clashes with
troops in the southern Philippines, the military here said on
Sunday.

In Manila, President Gloria Arroyo vowed that the war against
the rebels, who hold 18 U.S. and Filipino hostages, would
continue until the captives were free and the kidnappers wiped
out.

Five rebels were killed on Thursday when military intelligence
pin pointed a camp in the tiny island of Malanta, off the vast
Sulu archipelago in the south, armed forces southern command
chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu said.

More than 5,000 soldiers have been dispatched to nearby
Basilan island where another faction is holding the western and
Filipino hostages. -- AFP