Five Killed in Philippines Gun Battle

At least five members of an Islamist terrorist group were killed today in a gun battle on Basilan island in the Philippines, where the guerrillas are holding two Americans and a Filipino hostage, a military commander said.

The firefight came a day after the Philippines and the United States formally opened a training exercise aimed at wiping out the extremist Abu Sayyaf group, which has been linked to the al-Qaida terror network.

Soldiers from a Philippine marine battalion encountered about 20 guerrillas and engaged them in a 15-minute gunfight in a village of Maluso town on Basilan island.

The army's southern command chief, Lieutenant General Roy Cimatu, said: "I would say that this group is the blocking force of the main Abu Sayyaf group that is holding the hostages. If it is ... probably we will have some positive developments in the near future."

Troops recovered the body of one guerrilla, five assault rifles, personal belongings and ammunition in the village of Las Poler. The rest of the guerrillas escaped with their other casualties and were being pursued by the marines, who suffered no injuries, Lt Gen Cimatu said.

"We have destroyed their perimeter defence ... [while] degrading their capability in terms of strength and firepower," he said.

The guerrillas have so far eluded around 7,000 soldiers deployed to Basilan since Abu Sayyaf went on a kidnapping spree last May.

The guerrillas are still holding Christian missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas, and nurse Deborah Yap of Basilan.

US charge d'affaires, Robert Fitts, said US troops will train Filipino troops for six months to "help eliminate the terrorist parasites" threatening both countries.

The exercise will involve 660 US soldiers, including 160 from the special forces who will be deployed in 12-man teams among the three Philippine marine and five Philippine army battalions on Basilan.

Opposition politicians say the mission violates a Philippine constitutional clause that restricts foreign combat troops on sovereign soil.

In Manila, two lawyers from the southern Mindanao region asked the supreme court to stop the exercise.

Filipino officers said the US soldiers will mainly train the local troops on helicopter night flying and in other tactics involving sophisticated equipment.