Muslim guerrillas said Monday they will not resume formal peace talks with the Philippine government later this month and demanded the withdrawal of troops who overran their southern strongholds. More than 2,000 government soldiers last week captured a vast stronghold of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, where the military claimed kidnappers, bombers and outlaws had taken refuge. The weeklong fighting left more than 160 people dead and up to 51,000 civilians displaced. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has sought to resume peace talks with the guerrillas later this month in Malaysia, said the offensive was not directed against the rebels but against criminals, including the Pentagon gang, a notorious kidnap group on a U.S. terrorist list. Full Story
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