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