Marine commander of restive Basilan island sacked

MANILA (AFP) - The commander of marines battling Muslim extremists in the southern Philippines was sacked from his post for not personally leading his troops into battle, the military's chief said Wednesday.

The removal of Colonel Ramiro Alivio, head of the marine brigade in strife-torn Basilan island, comes just days after heavy troop casualties in clashes with Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group with links to Al-Qaeda.

Alivio would be moved to another position "where his intelligence background will serve our organization best," said military chief General Hermogenes Esperon. He has been replaced by Colonel Rustico Guerrero, said Esperon.

"We have to have a brigade commander that will be with the troops ... during operations," Esperon said, in contrast to Alivio who coordinated troop movements from his headquarters.

"A brigade commander will be more effective if he would be near the troops during operations and so we have put in there a commander who I think would ... take all the opportunity to be with his troops," Esperon said.

Last month, 14 marines were slain, and 10 of them were beheaded, in an ambush led by Abu Sayyaf and their allies.

A major military offensive on Saturday against the extremist group on the island left another 16 marines dead with some 30 Abu Sayyaf also killed or wounded as the soldiers over-ran a training camp.

"I wish Colonel Alivio would have been more forward. I know that he can control the troops from (headquarters) but I would have preferred that he be nearer to troops," said Esperon.

He added that the military offensive was continuing both on Basilan and Jolo island to the south where 27 soldiers were also killed by the Abu Sayyaf earlier this month.

The Abu Sayyaf has carried out the worst terror attacks in Philippine history including mass kidnappings and bombings. Both the US and Philippine governments have linked the Abu Sayyaf to the Al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

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 to local forces.