Fresh Fighting Erupts in South Philippines, 5 Die
Philippine soldiers killed five Muslim rebels in fresh fighting on the remote southwestern island of Jolo on Thursday, a week after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo rejected calls by religious and local leaders for a truce. Lieutenant-Colonel Buenaventura Pascual, an army spokesman, said Marines engaged dozens of gunmen from the Abu Sayyaf, an al Qaeda-linked group, in the mountains near Patikul town. Full Story