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Philippine troops clash with Sayyaf rebels
Philippine troops aided by US spy planes clashed with Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the southern island of Basilan on Tuesday, leaving an undertermined number of rebels killed, officials said.
Philippine troops aided by US spy planes clashed with Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the southern island of Basilan on Tuesday, leaving an undertermined number of rebels killed, officials said.
The soldiers caught up with the rebels at a mountainous area near Tuburan town, triggering the firefight, Basilan army chief Colonel Alexander Aleo said.
"An undetermined number of guerrillas may have been killed in the clash," Aleo said, citing field reports.
He said the gunmen retreated into the jungle with their dead.
Some 160 US Special Forces are deployed in Basilan to help the local military track down the elusive rebels and their three American and Filipino hostages.
Spokesmen for the joint training exercises on Monday said unmanned American spy planes are conducting flights over Basilan's rugged jungle-clad terrain to help Filipino soldiers track down the rebels.
P3-Orion spy planes have also been used to conduct surveillance flights over the island, officials said.
Military southern command spokesman Captain Noel Detoyato on Tuesday reiterated that US troops will only act as trainers and not engage in actual combat.
"We will still do the fighting and they will be assisting us with their technology and also training our men," Detoyato said. Bureau Report
The soldiers caught up with the rebels at a mountainous area near Tuburan town, triggering the firefight, Basilan army chief Colonel Alexander Aleo said.
"An undetermined number of guerrillas may have been killed in the clash," Aleo said, citing field reports.
He said the gunmen retreated into the jungle with their dead.
Some 160 US Special Forces are deployed in Basilan to help the local military track down the elusive rebels and their three American and Filipino hostages.
Spokesmen for the joint training exercises on Monday said unmanned American spy planes are conducting flights over Basilan's rugged jungle-clad terrain to help Filipino soldiers track down the rebels.
P3-Orion spy planes have also been used to conduct surveillance flights over the island, officials said.
Military southern command spokesman Captain Noel Detoyato on Tuesday reiterated that US troops will only act as trainers and not engage in actual combat.
"We will still do the fighting and they will be assisting us with their technology and also training our men," Detoyato said. Bureau Report