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4 soldiers beheaded by rebels in southern Philippines: military |
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10:47, July 11, 2007 |
Four Filipino soldiers searching for an abducted Italian priest in southern Mindanao were captured and beheaded by suspected Abu Sayyaf men and other local rebels, said the military Wednesday.
The soldiers were declared missing in action on Tuesday during a clash between government forces and a large group of rebels in a town in Basilan, southern Philippines. Four other government soldiers were killed during the fighting near Tipo-Tipo town said the military.
The bodies of the soldiers were found in a village by villagers sent by the local governor of Basilan and were taken to the city of Zamboanga by a speed boat, said Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan, spokesman of the Philippine Marines.
He said the government forces were totally outnumbered by rebels who blocked their way and engaged them in a fighting which lasted for nearly eight hours.
Local radio DzBB also quoted Col. Ramiro Alivio, a head of the Marine brigade engaged in the fighting, as saying the rebels were "mixed lawless elements" from the Abu Sayyaf and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
But Senior Superintendent Alex Macapantar, Basilan provincial police chief, denied that the four bodies were decapitated, saying the heads of the soldiers were "destroyed", according to a report by local television network GMA News.
He also said the provincial police still has to investigate if the Abu Sayyaf or MILF rebels staged the attack.
The troops were looking for Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, who was kidnapped one month ago by gunmen near Zamboanga.
Source: Xinhua
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