At least four Abu Sayyaf Muslim gunmen were killed Sunday in a clash with government forces in the southern Philippine island of Basilan.
Police and military forces were alerted by reports that Abu Sayyaf gunmen who attacked Basilan's capital of Isabela on Thursday had holed up in Balatanay village, about seven kilometers to the west and bordering the town of Lantawan.
Responding government forces were met with gunfire from the rebels, triggering intense fighting, said a police official who declined to be named.
The rebels were quickly reinforced by their comrades, as the fighting spread to the town of Lantawan.
"Fighting between military and rebel forces have been reported in Lantawan," said military southern command spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Darwin Guerra.
Provincial spokesman Cris Puno said villagers had reported that four Abu Sayyaf guerrillas had been killed by artillery fire from the army.
"According to reports, at least four were killed and civilians continue to flee their villages," Puno said when contacted from this southern port city across Basilan.
Police said the Abu Sayyaf unit encountered in Balantay were the same rebels who attacked Isabela Thursday night with rounds of mortar fire. Three civilians were injured in the blasts and a soldier was wounded in an ensuring gunfire.
Officials said the attack was launched to divert military attention from another Abu Sayyaf unit holding two American and 16 Filipino hostages in Basilan's central jungles.
About 5,000 soldiers have been dispatched in Basilan to rescue the captives and crush the rebels, a small group of Islamic fighters believed to have links with Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden.
The military southern command meanwhile said relatives of American captive Guillermo Sobero were scheduled to arrive here Sunday from California to help authorities identify skeletal remains recovered on Friday.
The remains are believed to belong to Sobero, whom the Abu Sayyaf claimed to have executed as an "independence day" gift to the Philippine government in June.
The bones were recovered in a shallow grave in a Basilan forest after a captured rebel who claimed to have taken part in the execution led troops to the area. The pile of bones were without a skull, apparently confirming rebel claims that Sobero had been beheaded.
Military officials said DNA testing on the bones was to be carried out to determine whether they belonged to Sobero.
National Security Adviser Roilo Golez in Manila cautioned against coming to hasty conclusions, saying the remains were still "subject to verification."
He said Philippine authorities had been in touch with US embassy officials and that he had personally spoken with Pablo Sobero, a brother of Guillermo, whose family he said was distressed because of the "lurid details" of the news reports.
"He asked me if this is it. I told him this is still the subject of confirmation," Golez said over local television. "For the sake of the family of Mr. Guillermo Sobero, I suggest we minimize our speculation so that they won't be surprised and be captive to all these speculations” -- ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP)
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