Troops kill 17 kidnappers in Philippines

Army units raided a suspected hideout of alleged kidnap gang leader Tahir Alonto on the Liguasan marsh near Sultan Kudarat on Mindanao island, Major General Raul Relano said in a report.

Assault leaders reported 17 members of Alonto's Pentagon gang were killed in the firefight that followed, he said. There were no casualties reported on the government side.

Southern Philippines military chief Lieutenant General Generoso Senga stressed that the operation was a law-enforcement drive and not meant to break a year-old ceasefire with Muslim separatist guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who also operate in the area.

"This is aimed at neutralizing Tahir," Senga told reporters.

"This is not targetted against the MILF. We are abiding by the ceasefire."

President Gloria Arroyo is seeking to convince the MILF to return to the negotiating table after extracting a public commitment from its leaders to reject terrorism and acts of banditry.