Rebels kill 20 Philippine troops

[guyabano]

At least 20 Philippine soldiers have been killed by suspected Islamic rebels on the southern island of Jolo.



Ten of the victims died when gunmen ambushed a military convoy near the town of Maimbung.

Troops were sent to engage the rebels, and during the battle which followed, 10 more soldiers died.

Military spokesmen have blamed the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Abu Sayyaf - an Islamic militant group with alleged ties to al-Qaeda.

Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for various kidnappings and bombings, including an attack on a ferry in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.

The MNLF signed a peace treaty with Manila in 1996, but some of its members have refused to disarm.

Thousands of Philippine troops are based in Jolo, some 950km (600 miles) south of the Philippine capital, Manila.

They have been fighting Islamic militants holed up in the island's mountainous terrain for several months.

Source

[wilberhum]

I just read the same thing on Al Jazeera. How can that be?

[Haidar_Abbas]

[guyabano]

I just read the same thing on Al Jazeera. How can that be?

As I mentionned already before, this happen already since severeal years. It just appears sometimes in the headlines when forgeiners got kidnapped.
I'm always scared when we go to see my wife's relatives in the Philippines, its more north, but there is still a danger.

Read more about Abu Sayyaf

[wilberhum]

Toll rises in Philippine fighting
The toll in clashes between the Philippine army and groups suspected of links with al-Qaeda on Jolo island in the country's south has risen to at least 54, the military says.

Philippine troops shelled separatist positions overnight, a day after intense fighting left dozens dead on both sides.




No new clashes were reported on Friday as the military suspended operations at dawn following a request from the provincial governor, citing the Muslim holiday.

The latest field reports showed 26 soldiers and 28 Muslim fighters had been killed since clashes began on Thursday.






The military suspects members of the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to be behind the ambush.

(More)
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...3F4BD9C49A.htm