MANILA, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least two dozen civilians have been killed as Muslim rebels on late Monday started to pull out from a couple of southern Philippine towns amid the government's warning of using full scale offensives to defend the territory.

    Hilario Atendido, commander of a special task force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, told reporters that at least 26 civilians were killed, along with three soldiers, in flash guerrilla attacks to towns in Lanao del Norte province and Sarangani province early Monday morning. Three others were wounded.

    Military officials said the rebels had retreated into mountainous areas and took a number of civilians as "human shields" to avoid government troops' operations.

    Atendido said civilian hostages were among the deaths reported so far while some of the hostages had already been released.

    Radical members of the Moro Islam Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest Muslim rebel group, are believed to be responsible for the attacks, military and police sources said.

    Military officials said houses were burned, plantation looted and transportation system was partially damaged in the affected towns.

    Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday called on government troops to fight against radical Muslim rebels in response to a surge of deadly guerrilla attacks launched in the south over the past few days.

    "Because of these sneaky and treacherous attacks, as your commander-in-chief, I have ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police to defend every inch of Philippine territory against MILF forces and immediately restore peace in the affected areas," she spoke on a televised press conference.

    "We will not tolerate and we will crush any attempt to disturb peace and development in Mindanao," she said, adding that an emergency meeting is being called on to assess the situation and come up with "concrete, decisive action."

    The attacks came hours after a military convoy was ambushed by around 100 suspected MILF rebels in Lanao del Sure province on Sunday, leaving eight dead and 11 injured.

    Also on Sunday, twin bombs exploded inside two travelers' inns in Iligan City of Lanao del Norte, hurting four civilians. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion so far.

    In a press conference held on Monday, General Alexander Yano, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said they are treating the MILF attacks, specifically the ambush attack on Sunday, as the MILF's declaration of war against the government.

    "The recent MILF-perpetrated incidents in Mindanao, starting with the ambush is a virtual declaration of war against the duly constituted authority," Yano said.

    He said the military authority will not allow this to go on. "We cannot allow ambuscades, arson, kidnapping, hostage taking, blocking of main highways and other atrocities to be perpetrated by the MILF against the Filipino people," he said.

    Since 1978, the 12,000-member MILF has been fighting for a separate state in Muslim-dominated Mindanao region. The peace talks between the government and the rebel group have been on and off over the past decade.

    Violence escalated after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraint order to stop the government and the rebels from inking an instrumental agreement to the peace progress.