Philippine leader visits troops in combat zone in south

Arroyo met with top armed forces commanders in Zamboanga City, 875 kilometres south of Manila, and would fly later in the day to nearby Basilan province, which has become the battleground between soldiers and Abu Sayyaf rebels.

Thirty soldiers have been killed in clashes with Muslim militants in Basilan since last month, while another 27 were killed on nearby Jolo island earlier in the month.

Arroyo has vowed to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf rebels, suspected to have beheaded 10 of 14 marines killed in a clash with secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas in a clash on July 10 in Basilan.

The military earlier accused the MILF of the crime, but subsequent fact-finding missions indicated it was the Abu Sayyaf rebels who beheaded and mutilated the dead soldiers.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said a total of 23,701 people have been displaced in Basilan and Jolo since the hostilities erupted.

The NDCC added that 14 public schools in Basilan have been closed since July after parents refused to send their children to school for fear they might be caught in crossfire.

Arroyo has ordered the health and social welfare departments to give assistance to the displaced civilians.

//(Deutsche Presse-Agentur)