Two Philippine soldiers killed in clash with rebels

Manila, Apr 12: Two Philippine soldiers were killed and 10 wounded in a fierce gun battle with members of the Abu Sayyaf, the country's deadliest Muslim rebel group, a senior military official said today.

Major General Ruben Rafael said at least four Abu Sayyaf guerrillas were reported killed in the clash yesterday afternoon in the town of Indanan on Jolo island, 950 km south of Manila.

The 100-strong Abu Sayyaf contingent, was led by commanders Radullan Sahiron and Gumbahali Jumdail, known as Doctor Abu, Rafael said.

The Philippine government and the US Department of Defence have offered a bounty of 200,000 dollar for information leading to the capture of Sahiron and 100,000 dollar for Doctor Abu.

The Philippines, backed by US advisers and equipment, has poured nearly 10,000 troops onto Jolo in a long-running campaign to flush out the Abu Sayyaf, which is sheltering members of regional Islamist network Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Indonesia.

The ground offensive on the thickly forested island has been a success for the Philippine military, which has killed two of the group's top leaders and around 80 militants since August last year.

On Monday, one of the Abu Sayyaf's leading strategists, Isnilon Hapilon, and one of the suspected masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombings, Umar Patek, escaped a raid on their camp.

Abu Sayyaf is one of four Islamic rebel groups operating in the southern Philippines, where Muslims have fought for decades for independence from the largely Catholic nation.

It is blamed for the country's worst terror attack, the bombing of a ferry near Manila in 2004 that killed over 100 people.

While other rebels have entered peace talks, Abu Sayyaf is involved in regular clashes with government troops, although its practice of kidnapping for ransom has fallen away in recent years.

Reuters