Ten Muslim extremists killed in Philippines clash: Military

Philippine troops closed in Thursday on another veteran of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group, a day after announcing the death of a senior leader wanted in the beheading of a California tourist.

Encouraged by the death of Abu Sulaiman, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo vowed to finish off the Islamic militants "with a hand of steel" and U.S. assistance.

Ten Muslim extremists were killed on Wednesday in a fierce firefight with government troops on the southern Philippine island of Basilan,the military said.

The death toll could be higher as troops continue to hunt down members of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group who were behind the kidnapping of three local school teachers four months ago, said Captain Neil Estrella.

The group released the teachers on Tuesday, possibly after a ransom was paid.

Estrella said once the safety of the schoolteachers was assured, Marines began "stalking the perpetrators."

They encountered the main body of about 50 Abu Sayyaf members before dawn today, leading to an intense firefight, he said.

The bodies of 10 Abu Sayyaf members were recovered with no casualties on the government side.

While the fighting has subsided, pursuit of the extremists is continuing, said Estrella.

The Abu Sayyaf are known for kidnapping Christians and foreigners for large ransom payments and have killed their hostages when their demands have not been met.

Most of Abu Sayyaf victims have been Filipinos. However, the group has also targeted Western foreigners for kidnapping because of the larger potential ransom payments, and Americans for ideological reasons. Abu Sayyaf kidnapped an American Bible translator on a southern Philippine island in 1993. In 2000, Abu Sayyaf captured an American Muslim visiting Jolo Island and demanded that the United States release Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, who were jailed for their involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. “We have been trying hard to get an American because they may think we are afraid of them,” a spokesman for Abu Sayyaf said. “We want to fight the American people.”