DHAKA : About 45,000 people have fled their homes in the impoverished southern Philippines as the military hunts Islamic militants, including a top terror suspect wanted by the United States.

Authorities said Wednesday, reports The Straits Times.

Soldiers have killed dozens of members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a rebel group fighting for an independent Muslim homeland in the south, since the operation began last month, the military said.

The offensive, including attacks with artillery and helicopter gunships, has taken place in poor farming areas on Mindanao island, where Muslim rebels have for decades fought for independence.

About 45,000 people living in mostly poor farming communities have fled, fearing an expansion of the violence, said Laisa Alamia, executive secretary of the special Muslim-administered region where the fighting is raging.

BDST: 1700 HRS, MAR 04, 2015