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PHILIPPINE soldiers are pursuing heavily armed Muslim rebels through the streets and homes of a major city, warning they would be killed or captured unless they surrendered.
About 200 members of the Moro National Liberation Front sailed into the southern port city of Zamboanga on September 9 to stake an independence claim and derail peace talks aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency.
Eighty-six MNLF gunmen, as well as 14 security forces and four civilians have died in the ensuing conflict, which has seen street battles in neighbourhoods occupied by the rebels as well as military helicopter rocket attacks.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said fresh fighting took place on Wednesday, and soldiers had orders to "neutralise" the remaining 30 to 40 rebels, who were roaming through houses in urban areas.
"We will continue with our calibrated military response until they are neutralised, either through being killed or captured, or they surrender," he told AFP.
"We want to let them know there is no dishonour in surrendering, when that saves lives."
MNLF leader Nur Misuari had reportedly called for safe passage for his men back to their island strongholds as part of a failed ceasefire initiative, but President Benigno Aquino rejected the condition.
Zagala emphasised the military was intent on not allowing the remaining rebels to escape, with troops blocking strategic routes out to sea.
Nevertheless, he said the military could not conduct a full-out assault against the rebels for fear of endangering civilians ensnared in the conflict.
"We want to finish this in the soonest possible time. But we want to ensure the safety and security of the civilians who are either trapped or being held hostage," Zagala said.
The rebels were believed to be holding as many as 21 hostages, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters in Zamboanga, as he outlined operations to flush the insurgents out of the communities.
"We are now at the stage of clearing operations ... we are going from house to house, block to block. Houses are built close together, the streets are narrow," Roxas said.
"We have to ensure that there are no more fighters there and that no booby traps were left behind."
The rebels have shown no intent to surrender despite being heavily outnumbered, with the military reporting that two more soldiers were killed on Tuesday.
Those deaths occurred as the military achieved one of its biggest breakthroughs, securing the release of more than 140 civilians after taking back control of some neighbourhoods.
About 100,000 people, or roughly 10 per cent of Zamboanga's population, have been displaced by the fighting, while the city has been brought to a standstill with schools closed and transport services suspended.
Misuari deployed his men to Zamboanga to show opposition to a planned peace deal between the government and the remaining major Muslim rebel group, the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The MILF is close to signing the peace pact, which Misuari believes would sideline the MNLF.
Philippine military hunts Muslim rebels | News.com.au
About 200 members of the Moro National Liberation Front sailed into the southern port city of Zamboanga on September 9 to stake an independence claim and derail peace talks aimed at ending a decades-long insurgency.
Eighty-six MNLF gunmen, as well as 14 security forces and four civilians have died in the ensuing conflict, which has seen street battles in neighbourhoods occupied by the rebels as well as military helicopter rocket attacks.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said fresh fighting took place on Wednesday, and soldiers had orders to "neutralise" the remaining 30 to 40 rebels, who were roaming through houses in urban areas.
"We will continue with our calibrated military response until they are neutralised, either through being killed or captured, or they surrender," he told AFP.
"We want to let them know there is no dishonour in surrendering, when that saves lives."
MNLF leader Nur Misuari had reportedly called for safe passage for his men back to their island strongholds as part of a failed ceasefire initiative, but President Benigno Aquino rejected the condition.
Zagala emphasised the military was intent on not allowing the remaining rebels to escape, with troops blocking strategic routes out to sea.
Nevertheless, he said the military could not conduct a full-out assault against the rebels for fear of endangering civilians ensnared in the conflict.
"We want to finish this in the soonest possible time. But we want to ensure the safety and security of the civilians who are either trapped or being held hostage," Zagala said.
The rebels were believed to be holding as many as 21 hostages, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters in Zamboanga, as he outlined operations to flush the insurgents out of the communities.
"We are now at the stage of clearing operations ... we are going from house to house, block to block. Houses are built close together, the streets are narrow," Roxas said.
"We have to ensure that there are no more fighters there and that no booby traps were left behind."
The rebels have shown no intent to surrender despite being heavily outnumbered, with the military reporting that two more soldiers were killed on Tuesday.
Those deaths occurred as the military achieved one of its biggest breakthroughs, securing the release of more than 140 civilians after taking back control of some neighbourhoods.
About 100,000 people, or roughly 10 per cent of Zamboanga's population, have been displaced by the fighting, while the city has been brought to a standstill with schools closed and transport services suspended.
Misuari deployed his men to Zamboanga to show opposition to a planned peace deal between the government and the remaining major Muslim rebel group, the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
The MILF is close to signing the peace pact, which Misuari believes would sideline the MNLF.
Philippine military hunts Muslim rebels | News.com.au
