Five held as gov't pursues Mindanao offensive

ZAMBOANGA (AFP) - Philippines soldiers pressed their offensive Monday against Al-Qaeda-linked militants in the restive south, arresting five rebels after a weekend of fighting, commanders said.

Brigadier-General Juancho Sabban said there was a lull in fighting on the island of Basilan after an artillery barrage Sunday on Abu Sayyaf positions, but operations were continuing.

Sixteen troops were killed with some 30 Abu Sayyaf dead or wounded Saturday as marines over-ran a training camp near Unkaya Pukan.

"As of now our operations against the Abu Sayyaf are ongoing," Sabban told reporters.

"There is a lull in the fighting but we are pursuing our search and sealing their possible escape routes."

"The shelling has stopped, but our troops are moving," he added, without providing further details. "When we are at a disadvantageous position and they are at an advantage, we'll have to soften the ground by shelling that area."

Meanwhile, five militants were arrested after surrendering without a fight on the nearby island of Jolo, said Brigadier-General Ruperto Pabustan, who leads the island's counter-terrorist task force.

Pabustan said it was not known if they were involved in Saturday's clashes on Basilan, or in ambushes that left 27 soldiers dead in Jolo last week.

Thousands of troops have deployed on the two largely Muslim islands over recent weeks to avenge some of the military's worst setbacks in recent years. As well as the 27 dead in the Jolo ambush, 14 marines were killed on Basilan last month.

The United States, which has placed the Abu Sayyaf in its list of foreign terrorist organisations, has been providing small numbers of Special Forces personnel to provide intelligence and training.