Philippine Army kills five Abu Sayyaf rebels

The Philippine Army has killed five members of the Abu Sayyaf militant group in a gunbattle on Basilan island in the south of the country early today.

Soldiers on patrol near the city of Zamboanga encountered about 20 of the Muslim rebels and engaged them in a 15-minute gunfight.

The troops recovered the body of one guerrilla and said the others escaped with four more casualties.

An estimated 800 Abu Sayyaf fighters have eluded 7,000 Philippine soldiers on Basilan island since last May, when the Government launched a military crackdown on the separatist group.

The military action was approved after the guerrillas kidnapped several people, including American citizens, and demanded ransom payments. They are still holding two American missionaries and a Filipino hostage.

Yesterday, the US military began training the Philippine Army in its fight against the Abu Sayyaf, which the US says is a "terrorist" organisation.