February 3, 2002, AFP, More than 20 Abu Sayyaf gunmen believed killed in southern Philippines,

February 3, 2002, AFP, More than 20 Abu Sayyaf gunmen believed killed in southern Philippines,
Sunday 4:47 PM

More than 20 Muslim Abu Sayyaf gunmen were believed to have been killed in clashes with Philippine forces in the southern island of Jolo, an army official said.

The fighting occurred late Friday in a remote village in Indanan town, the local army commander in Jolo, Colonel Romeo Tolentino said Sunday.

The Abu Sayyaf were backed up by supporters of detained Muslim leader Nur Misuari, now in jail for a short-lived rebellion in Jolo that killed more than 100 in November, he said.

"More than 20 rebels were believed killed in the fighting," Tolentino said, citing reports from the field.

He said pursuit operations were continuing, with sporadic clashes reported by soldiers in the past 48 hours although there were no immediate reports of additional casualties on either side.

"We are going to flush them out and when they are in the open they will be neutralized," Tolentino said.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small rebel faction accused by Manila and Washington of having links to the al-Qaeda terror network of Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks in the US.

Abu Sayyaf fighters style themselves as Islamic freedom fighters but are notorious for carrying out a series of high-profile kidnappings in recent years. A faction in the nearby island of Basilan is holding a US Christian missionary couple and a Filipina hostage.

The fighting occurred with hundreds of US troops taking part in a joint military training exercises aimed at helping the local army crush the Abu Sayyaf.