A kidnapped six-year-old girl, whose British stepfather arrived in Manila from Scotland yesterday, was sighted in a jungle village in southern Basilan province, officials said. Moro rebels are holding Iman April Adzam-Grant captive in the jungle near Tuburan town.

She was spotted by villagers with one of her captors in a remote Muslim community in the town, said a military spokesman Col. Fredesvindo Covarrubias. Covarrubias did not give details of the sightings, but said: "This has confirmed that the little girl is still alive."

Guerrillas had warned they would execute the hostage if her family informed the authorities about the kidnapping or if they failed to pay a ransom. Her stepfather, Douglas Abdullah Grant, arrived in Manila together with reporters and would come today to Basilan province, where his Filipino wife, Mina Rasul, and their two-year old daughter, Khadija, are waiting.

An Army commander Maj. Daniel Lucero said the kidnappers were also targeting Grant and his daughter for abduction. Grant, from Scotland, was forced to leave Basilan in July last year after receiving threats from the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Grant's wife said British embassy officials urged them to leave Basilan and bring Khadija to Manila for security reason. "I told them I will not leave behind Iman," she said. Lucero said the Army temporarily suspended operations on Sunday to rescue the girl to allow peaceful negotiations. He said they had established contact with the kidnappers, but did not speak of progress in the negotiations.

However, Covarrubias said "government efforts to rescue the girl are still there." Army soldiers cordoned off the village of Pintasan on Sunday to prevent the kidnappers from fleeing.