WORLD IN BRIEF : PHILIPPINES : Rebels Evade Troops After Savage Battle

A band of Muslim rebels managed to evade pursuing Philippine troops after savage fighting that left at least 12 guerrillas and five of their hostages dead, the military said. Three local militiamen were also killed in the confused, four-hour running battle fought over the hills and forests of Mindanao Island between about 100 rebels who used hostages as “human shields” and hundreds of troops backed by helicopters. “They have escaped,” a military officer said. The rebels killed 45 people in the town of Ipil in a raid Tuesday. They still have 40 or 50 hostages.