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Rebels kill 20 Philippine troops | |
(about 10 hours later) | |
At least 20 Philippine soldiers have been killed by suspected Islamic rebels on the southern island of Jolo. | |
Ten of the victims died when gunmen ambushed a military convoy near the town of Maimbung. | |
Troops were sent to engage the rebels, and during the battle which followed, 10 more soldiers died. | |
Military spokesmen have blamed the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and Abu Sayyaf - an Islamic militant group with alleged ties to al-Qaeda. | |
Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for various kidnappings and bombings, including an attack on a ferry in 2004 that killed more than 100 people. | |
The MNLF signed a peace treaty with Manila in 1996, but some of its members have refused to disarm. | |
Thousands of Philippine troops are based in Jolo, some 950km (600 miles) south of the Philippine capital, Manila. | Thousands of Philippine troops are based in Jolo, some 950km (600 miles) south of the Philippine capital, Manila. |
They have been fighting Islamic militants holed up in the island's mountainous terrain for several months. | They have been fighting Islamic militants holed up in the island's mountainous terrain for several months. |