In a move that could stop the escalating hostilities on the main southern Philippine island of Mindanao, the country's leading Muslim separatist group has started a pullback of forces. But as Konrad Muller reports from Manila, the government's response is still unclear, while the costs of the conflict mount. Fighting with government forces has raged there since late April and caused the separatists to suspend peace talks with Manila. The Abu Sayyaf, a smaller, more extreme group, has been at the center of the current hostage crisis in the area. But in Manila the country's political leadership has responded only cautiously to the overture.
Officials say further clarifications are being sought.
The Philippine army says it has no plans to alter its operations. The toll of nearly three weeks of conflict is already plain. Hundreds are believed killed or injured and 230-thousand civilians have been displaced. Many are now suffering from respiratory infections or diarrhea. Dysentery and malaria have been reported in crowded evacuation centers.