(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-04 14:46

MANILA - Five people, including two government soldiers, were killed early Monday as government troops clashed with armed members of the rebel group Abu Sayyaf in a hostage rescue mission in southern Philippines.

Major Eugene Batara of the Western Mindanao Command said that the soldiers were sent to rescue two locals including a Filipino-Chinese businesswoman who was kidnapped by the rebels earlier last week.

He said the batch of Abu Sayyaf members they were pursuing were under the command of Abu Pula, alias Dr. Abu; and Albader Parad, two of the most wanted commanders of Abu Sayyaf. The government has placed a 100,000 US-dollar bounty on information leading to Pula's arrest while 15,000 US dollars on Parad's head.

Batara said the exchange of fire lasted one hour. Five other government soldiers were injured. Bodies of the slain bandits were found along with an M-16 Armalite rifle after the clash.

The military has not confirmed on the civilian casualties who were accidentally caught by the clash. An earlier local radio report said at least five villagers were killed.

Both the US and the Philippine government considered the 370-strong Abu Sayyaf a dangerous terrorist organization with close ties with Al Quaede in Afghanistan. The group was responsible for a series of bloody incidents in the Philippines including the 2004 Manila Bay ferry explosion which killed around 100 people.  

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has vowed to eliminate the rebel group by 2010 when her second term ends. Military operation against Abu Sayyaf has been intensified since last July when ten government navy soldiers were killed and beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.