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Two slain as Philippine troops clash with Muslim kidnappers
Philippine troops on Saturday clashed with Abu Sayyaf rebels, holding 11 hostages, killing two guerrillas and capturing six others, military sources said.
Philippine troops on Saturday clashed with Abu Sayyaf rebels, holding 11 hostages, killing two guerrillas and capturing six others, military sources said.
Soldiers stormed Lanhil, an isle off the main Abu Sayyaf stronghold of Basilan island before dawn, Colonel Roland Detabali, the assistant chief for operations said.
Six firearms were captured from the Abu Sayyaf, a self-styled Muslim insurgency group, who have suspected links with Osama bin Laden, the main suspect in the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, Detabali said. operation is underway to recover the two Americans and nine Filipino hostages.
The captives, including American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, are the remnants of an Abu Sayyaf kidnapping spree that began in May.
While some hostages were freed, reportedly for ransom, one American and over a dozen Filipino hostages have since been killed by the Abu Sayyaf. In a related development, soldiers hunting for the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan clashed with another Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Bureau Report
Six firearms were captured from the Abu Sayyaf, a self-styled Muslim insurgency group, who have suspected links with Osama bin Laden, the main suspect in the September 11 terror attacks in the United States, Detabali said. operation is underway to recover the two Americans and nine Filipino hostages.
The captives, including American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, are the remnants of an Abu Sayyaf kidnapping spree that began in May.
While some hostages were freed, reportedly for ransom, one American and over a dozen Filipino hostages have since been killed by the Abu Sayyaf. In a related development, soldiers hunting for the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan clashed with another Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Bureau Report