Manila, JULY 13, SPA -- The Philippine military has dispatched additionaltroops to a southern island where Muslim rebels killed 14 marinessearching for an abducted Italian priest, DPA QUOTED a spokesman as saying Friday. Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan, a marines spokesman, said 500soldiers were being deployed to the island province of Basilan, 900kilometres south of Manila. "One marine battalion will proceed to Basilan to beef up theforces in the area," he told reporters. "We realized that we don'thave enough forces there to pursue operations." Caculitan said the additional troops would also boost efforts tosearch for Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, 57, who was abducted onJune 10 from the nearby province of Zamboanga Sibugay. Fourteen marines were killed in a fierce nine-hour battle withMuslim rebels in Tipo-Tipo town in Basilan on Tuesday. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/467063