Basilan was under siege yesterday as Philippine military officials stepped up security in the port city in the southern Philippines, in a heightened bid to rescue 14 people – three of them Americans – being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf in the impenetrable forests of the province.

The major target of the military assault is the jungle near Mt. Sinangcapan in Tuburan town, an area familiar to the Abu Sayyaf rebels but not to the military and policemen who have been posted there for the job of rescuing the hostages and fighting the rebels.

"We have well-trained forces in Basilan," said a regional army spokesman, Col. Danilo Servando. "The military is deployed almost all over the place. Wherever the Abu Sayyaf members are, as long as they are in the Philippines, we will find them."

He did not say how many soldiers had been sent to the province. "We maintain a high level of intensity as far as the offensive and rescue operation is concerned," he noted. He added: "Our policy remains firm – this is a relentless military operation."

Sources said all the hostages are alive, but declined to elaborate further. "Our military units are doing everything to prevent the hostages from being harmed," Col. Servando explained.

The police have called on parents of schoolchildren to remain calm, adding that security in several schools had been beefed up following another report that the Abu Sayyaf Group was planning to attack schools in Isabela, the provincial capital.

Basilan Police Chief Superintendent, Asmadul Pangambayan, has deployed police units to guard the Isabela Central Elementary School. "Report suspicious characters and give us what information you can give," Pangambayan advised residents.

The security effort was bolstered following reports that suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits had ambushed a jeepney in Maluso, Basilan, Friday. One unidentified passenger was wounded. The militiamen who were among the passengers returned fire and forced the suspects to flee.

Muslim leaders, meanwhile, asked the Abu Sayyaf leaders to spare civilians, children and old people. The Office of Muslim Affairs executive director, Datu Zamzamin Ampatuan, called on Muslims in Basilan to cooperate with the government and warn authorities of "suspicious" individuals in their communities.