The Philippine military said up to 20 freedom-fighters were killed at a fortified jungle hideout on Thursday, the fourth day of fierce fighting and bombing raids on the south-western island of Jolo. The military said a battalion commander and a soldier were killed on Thursday in rebel mortar fire on an army base in another part of Jolo. On Wednesday, it said nearly 40 rebels had been killed in the clashes since Monday but that it had suffered the biggest number of casualties since 2001 with 20 soldiers killed and about 50 wounded.
Nearly 4,000 troops have been battling about 800 fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
"There's still heavy fighting in the mountains of Panamao," Lieutenant-General Alberto Braganza, chief of the military's Southern Command, told reporters. "Our troops have encountered strong resistance from the rebels."
Braganza said soldiers recovered several bodies from the rebel hideout, adding up to 20 freedom fighters may have been killed in air strikes and artillery bombardments.
Earlier on Thursday, he brushed aside calls for a cease-fire from local Muslim leaders worried about villagers caught up in the fighting. About 5,000 residents have been evacuated.
"To me, it's surrender or nothing," Braganza said.
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