ZAMBOANGA CITY, 13 February 2007 — Government soldiers clashed separately with suspected Moro National Liberation Front rebels and Abu Sayyaf yesterday and killed at least four gunmen and captured two others in the southern Filipino island of Jolo, military reports said.

The fighting broke out in the towns of Indanan and Talipao on the island, about 950 km south of Manila, where thousands of troops are pursuing Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah militants.

The soldiers were tracking down militants when they came under fire. There were no reports of military casualties.

Early this month, a faction of MNLF rebels under Habier Malik and Khaid Ajibun held for 3 days a peace mission headed by Maj. Gen. Mohamad Dolorfino, of the Philippine Marines and Defense Under Secretary Ramon Santos and 21 soldiers and staff of Presidential peace adviser, Jesus Dureza.

The rebels signed a peace agreement with Manila in September 1996, but the government allowed them to keep their huge inventory of high-power weapons, mostly automatic rifles, anti-tank rockets and machine guns.

After the peace agreement was signed, Misuari, became the governor of the Muslim autonomous region.

But despite the agreement, there was a widespread disillusionment with the weak autonomy they were granted.

Under the peace agreement, Manila would provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.

The military last week warned the rebels to stay inside their camps or risk being shot if caught carrying illegal weapons in public places.

“The MNLF rebels should stay inside their camps. If we see armed men outside these camps, then we will engage them,” said Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of the 3rd Marine Brigade on Jolo island.

Dolorfino’s group was seized after reports of a scheduled tripartite meeting between the MNLF, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the Philippines on Feb. 6-8 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia had been shelved off by the Arroyo government.

The hostages were freed after Manila agreed to proceed with the conference next month in Saudi Arabia.