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10 Abu Sayyaf Men Killed as Troops Rescue Captives
At least 10 Muslim Abu Sayyaf gunmen were killed in clashes with Philippine soldiers in the southern island of Basilan, where four Filipino hostages were rescued on Sunday. But the rebels still hold nine Filipinos and American Christian missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham in Basilan's rough jungle terrain.
The skeletal remains of a third American, Guillermo Sobero of California, were found last week, months after the rebels said they beheaded him as an "independence day" gift to the government in June. The Americans were seized in May from a beach resort along with a group of Filipinos, most of whom have been freed allegedly after ransom payments.
Soldiers caught up with the main Abu Sayyaf group in the village of Lumbang in Basilan's Lantawan town before dawn Sunday, triggering a running gunbattle. Hostages Joel Guillo, Reynaldo Ariston, Ruben Baldesamos and Rodrigo Solon were rescued as the firefight, which also wounded two soldiers, raged.
A seven-year-old boy was also killed while his father and a woman and her son were wounded as the fleeing rebels indiscriminately fired on a cluster of huts, the military said. "Initially, 10 Abu Sayyaf were reported killed, but there could be more Abu Sayyaf casualties in the frontlines," armed forces southern command chief Lieutenant General Roy Cimatu said.
In Manila, armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Edilberto Adan said the rescue was a "positive development" and showed that soldiers were getting better at familiarizing the terrain. He said civilians had been providing government intelligence with information on the whereabouts of the group.
The military expects "a big accomplishment by way of recovering (the remaining) hostages and inflicting heavy casualties on the terrorist group" in the coming days, Adan said, adding that troops were on heightened alert for retaliatory actions, The rescued captives were taken to an army headquarters just outside Isabela, the capital of Basilan, where they ate corned beef and rice for their first real meal in months. They were later debriefed and underwent medical tests. They looked haggard and wore faded jeans as they tearfully embraced their relatives who had flocked to the camp to meet them, officials said.
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