Saturday, November 20, 2004
Philippine air strike on extremist gang kills 10
Agence France-Presse Cotabato, November 20
The Philippine military has killed up to 10 people in an air raid on a suspected meeting between the Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremists, a senior military official said on Saturday.
Huey and MG-520 helicopters and OV-10 planes blasted two houses in the marshlands of the southern province of Maguindanao on Friday, where about 50 Abu Sayyaf members were believed meeting with two Indonesian JI members, said regional military chief Major General Raul Relano.
As many as 10 bodies were seen floating in the marsh waters after the attack, but it could not be confirmed if they were Abu Sayyaf or JI members, Relano said.
One Huey helicopter was slightly damaged by return fire, the general said. The armed forces had to resort to airstrikes due to the difficulty of entering the marsh by foot.
Relano said the attack in the central part of the main southern island of Mindanao did not violate a ceasefire in place between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the main Muslim separatist group in the country.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu confirmed the airstrike took place but said it hit communities known to harbour MILF members. No MILF fighters were killed in the airstrike, he added.
The Muslim Abu Sayyaf, known mainly for kidnapping and bombing attacks against Christians and foreigners in the southern Philippines, has been linked by both Washington and Manila to the Al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.
However the Abu Sayyaf has not previously been closely tied to JI, blamed for terror attacks in Southeast Asia such as the Bali bombings in October 2002, which killed 202 people.
The JI has been considered as the regional chapter of Al-Qaeda. The government has said that at least four Indonesian JI members are hiding in the southern Philippines.
Neither the JI or the Abu Sayyaf are covered by the ceasefire between the government and the MILF although some defence officials have accused MILF commanders of sheltering JI members.
© HT Media Ltd. 2004.