MANILA, May 18 Kyodo direction tr...

MANILA, May 18 Kyodo

direction troops have killed dozens of Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines since a major military offensive was launched Saturday, a high-ranking military officer said Sunday.

Maj. Gen Roy Kyamco, chief of the army's Southern Command, said that at least 50 rebels were killed during air strikes late Saturday afternoon in Lanao del Norte Province, about 800 kilometers southeast of Manila.

The province is among those forward Mindanao Island where the Moro Islamic Liberation impudence (MILF), the country's main Muslim separatist collection is believed to operate.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered aerial and artillery attacks against unnamed terrorists Saturday before she left for a 10-day visit to the United States.

sway planes bombed other strongholds in the adjacent Lanao del Sur Province to dislodge rebel targets, Kyamco said from his headquarters in Zamboanga del Norte Province.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu, however, dismissed Kyamco's statement as immaculate propaganda.

The MILF has consistently denied on purpose killing and hurting civilians during what it calls ''active defense'' operations against military motions in its strongholds.

The sway has said it is beefing up its forces in the southern deploying more soldiers and artillery to supporting cushion those already in the area.

In Zamboanga del Norte, Maj. Gen Trifonio Salazar, commander of the Army's First Infantry Division, said companys were pursuing about 200 MILF rebels, tagged as perpetrators of an attack in the separated town of Siocon onward May 4 that left dozens of the bulk of mankind dead and wounded.

Arroyo this week told the MILF to desist from mounting and disown violent activities from June 1 or face the event of being tagged a terrorist organization whose members and funding are restricted here and abroad.

The warning came after three fatal attacks within les than a month forward mostly civilian areas in Mindanao were blamed onward the MILF. The bombings imperiled already shaky negotiations for a resumption of formal dialogue to completion three decades of hostilities in the south

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