Muslim rebels vows to fight Philippine military offensive

 Khalid Musa, vice-chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) information committee, said that guerrilla forces in the island province of Basilan, 900 kilometres south of Manila, are gearing for a major defensive response against attacks by government troops.

"We will defend ourselves at all cost," he said. "We will remain in defensive position but will fight back if provoked." 

Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, a marines spokesman, said that 500 additional soldiers were deployed in Basilan, where Muslim rebels killed 14 marines searching for Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, who was seized by gunmen on June 10 in nearby Zamboanga Sibugay province.

Ten of the 14 soldiers slain by the rebels were found beheaded or mutilated Tuesday after fierce, day-long between MILF guerrillas and marines in the town of Tipo Tipo.

The separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said that its forces clashed with the soldiers while defending their own encampment but denied decapitating 10 of the slain marines.

The MILF has formed a three-man panel to investigate the incident.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said that the major military offensive against the rebel positions in Basilan will only create more tension.

"There is an ongoing investigation to determine what went wrong," he said. "Both sides should let the probe go on and wait for the results. A military offensive will worsen the situation and may destroy the gains of the peace process." 

The 12,000-strong MILF is the largest Muslim rebel group fighting since 1978 for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines. It is holding peace talks with the government.

While negotiations have been suspended since September 2006, the two sides have been planning to resume formal talks in Malaysia within the month.//Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA)