2/9/2005 3:00:00 PM GMT

Source: bloomberg.com

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported the Southern Command Chief Alberto Braganza has said the country's military will bomb Muslim rebel positions in the southern island of Jolo.

The escalation by the Philippine army comes after two days of fighting which left at least 17 soldiers dead.

According to local officials the military's death toll could be as much as 40; while the number of dead from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is believed to be around 30.

According to local media reports, the latest spate of violence between the two sides started when MNLF members attacked Army posts in Jolo on Monday in retaliation for the death of three civilians in a February 1st clash between the military and the Abu Sayyaf, another Muslim rebel group.

Jolo is part of the Mindanao island group, which is home to most of the Philippine's Muslim minority.

The MNLF, founded in 1968, has fought for an independent state. The group agreed to autonomy in 1996 but the government imprisoned its leader Nur Misuari in 2001 for allegedly renewing the rebellion.