Philippine soldiers killed 14 Muslim guerrillas in an overnight battle to capture a rebel position in the south, an army spokesman said on Saturday, as the number of displaced from the military offensive rose to 80,000.

The military has mounted air and ground assault on the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a small but violent splinter group of the largest Muslim guerrilla force in Mindanao, after 44 police commandos were killed in January.