Troops ready to spring priest

Troops ready to spring priest

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Philippine troops were prepared to rescue abducted Italian priest Luciano Benedetti from armed kidnappers if negotiations for his release collapsed, the military said on Thursday.

But Col. Rafael Romero, spokesman of the military's southern command, said they remained hopeful Benedetti would be released this week within the prescribed two-week deadline given by President Joseph Estrada.

"We know the general area (where Benedetti is being hidden) but we cannot just divulge the exact place," Romero said, adding they had stepped up pressure against the kidnappers.

Benedetti, 54, was abducted in September near his parish in nearby Zamboanga peninsula. The kidnappers have demanded seven million pesos (US$175,000) for his release, although his superiors have said they will not pay.