The US believes a final peace deal between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf), the Philippines' biggest Muslim separatist army, will help weaken Islamic extremists using the southern island of Mindanao as a regional base.

Henry Crumpton, the US State Department's co-ordinator for counter-terrorism, told a news conference at the end of a tour of the region: "We believe when this accord is signed, it will put enormous pressure on Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and the Abu Sayyaf group."