Muslim rebels warn Philippines against retaliation

MANILA, July 15 (Reuters) The largest of four Muslim separatist groups in the southern Philippines warned today against military retaliation for the beheading of 10 marines in a battle last week.

A tense ceasefire is holding on the southern island of Basilan as the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front separately investigate last week's heavy fighting in which at least 18 people, including 14 marines, were killed and 16 wounded.

But a fresh battalion of marines was moved to Basilan on Friday and the military has sworn to track down those responsible for the mutilations, triggering a warning from the MILF that the massing of troops was a provocation and violated a truce agreement.

"There is really a need to distinguish who were responsible and who are innocent," Khaled Musa, a rebel spokesman said in a statement posted at the MILF website www.luwaran.com today.

"A collective punishment is not a good option for the government because so many innocent people would be affected or even killed or wounded." Marine commander Major-General Nelson Allaga said today they had a list of people who were behind the beheading of the soldiers during the nine-hour battle and vowed to hunt them down.

"We'll go after them wherever they're hiding," Allaga told reporters at a memorial service at the Marine base in Manila on Sunday.

Musa called on the government for restraint, warning a full-scale attack on its forces on Basilan could further delay the resumption of talks in Malaysia and could affect the entire peace process between the largely Catholic central government and the rebels.

The military says the Marines were ambushed by hundreds of armed men and 10 of those killed were beheaded. Rebels say troops entered one of their camps without permission, but added they will investigate the decapitations.

The ceasefire between the military and the MILF, which has been in place since 2003, has been occasionally broken, but Tuesday's fighting was one of the most serious violations.

REUTERS SW RN1424