Manila - Three international Red Cross staff held captive by Muslim militants in the southern Philippines are still alive and unharmed after deadly clashes between their captors and government troops, a local Red Cross official said Wednesday.

Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, said all reports from Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, indicate that none of the hostages were hurt in the fighting since Monday.

"As far as I know, they are still alive," he said. "(But) they are very, very tired and very sleepy, after all they have been running all over the place."

Gordon urged government troops to refrain from engaging in armed confrontation with Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels who are holding the hostages - Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba- on Jolo island.

"I appeal to the military not to be precipitant," he said. "It's important not to make actions that will endanger people."

Three Marines were killed and 19 wounded in two days of clashes with Abu Sayyaf rebels in the jungles of Indanan town on Jolo island. The military said the fighting erupted when the guerrillas attempted to break through a cordon of soldiers.

Six Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed and a commander, Albader Parad, was reportedly wounded in the fighting.

Gordon expressed doubt that government troops were provoked to fire at the Abu Sayyaf, noting that the rebels were not inclined to try to break through a military cordon during broad daylight.

"Why would Parad, who knows the terrain and could roam around at night, try to come out during the daytime?" he said. "I am asking the military to investigate this incident, to investigate the people on the ground."

Gordon said he believed the troops on the ground launched an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in a bid to rescue the hostages, triggering the clashes.

"It was an irresponsible effort to try to attain glory," he said.

But military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said the armed forces have not launched a rescue operation.

"We would like to make it clear that we have not yet transitioned to a military rescue operation," he said. "The avenues for a peaceful release of the hostages are still open."

"The objective is to constrict (the rebels') movement in certain areas to prevent the spillover of atrocities and to increase the pressure on the kidnappers with the hope that they would soon decide to just free the victims without any demands," he added.

The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks and high-profile kidnappings in the Philippines.

In 2000, the Abu Sayyaf abducted 21 European tourists and Asian workers from a Malaysian resort island and brought them to Jolo. The hostages were freed months later after payments of millions of dollars in ransom.

The following year, a band of Abu Sayyaf rebels seized 17 Filipino vacationers and three US tourists from a western Philippine resort. Most of the hostages were later rescued or ransomed, but two of the Americans were killed. (dpa)