Air Force pilots rescue soldiers

Newly trained Air Force pilots put to good use what they learned in joint exercises with their US military counterparts, when they rescued three wounded soldiers who were besieged by separatists in the south last Friday, the military said in a report yesterday.

The Filipino pilots used two UH1H helicopters and night vision goggles when they evacuated the beleaguered Filipino soldiers near the town of Sumisip on Basilan island, following an attack by gunmen who were believed to belong to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front the southern command said.

"It was the first time the Philippine Air Force implemented the newly developed emergency medical evacuation mission, with the use of night vision goggles," the statement said.

"The recently acquired emergency medical evacuation capability of the Filipino helicopter pilots was instrumental in saving the lives of the three soldiers."

Some 500 US soldiers have begun a joint military exercise with Filipino soldiers, to empower the latter in fighting members of the Abu Sayyaf and MILF.