Military warns of 'all-out war' against militants

MANILA (AFP) - The Philippine military on Monday warned it could launch an "all-out war" against Islamic militants if they did not surrender those behind an ambush last week in which 14 marines were killed, and 10 later beheaded.

Military chief General Hermogenes Esperon said troops on the ground had been told to exercise restraint, but "an all-out war" to flush out the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members behind last week's ambush remained an option.

"They have admitted that the ambush was perpetrated by them so they must now bring out the offenders. I mean, those who beheaded our Marines," Esperon told reporters as he visited the wake for the slain troops.

"Otherwise, all options are open," Esperon said, alluding to a massive crackdown on MILF forces on Basilan island, where the Marines were killed last week as they searched for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.

"All-out war is one of the alternatives, but it could be the last resort," he said.

Esperon said troops had pinpointed the general area where Bossi, 57, was being held and were close to rescuing him. He declined to give further details so as not to jeopardize the operations.

Bossi was seized by heavily armed men near his church in the Zamboanga peninsula on June 10. The MILF has denied it was involved in the abduction, but the military said Bossi was spotted in an area controlled by the group in Basilan.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo last week ordered troops to hunt down the attackers, and said that if the MILF were involved they must surrender their men.

However, she said peace negotiations with the 12,000-strong MILF would continue despite the debacle.

The MILF had accused the troops of instigating last week's violence, saying that the Marines entered their area without prior notice as called for under a ceasefire agreement forcing them to attack.