Severed heads delivered to military
From correspondents in the Philippines
April 20, 2007 12:59pm
Al-Qaeda-linked extremists ordered civilians to deliver the severed heads of seven Christians to military outposts in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, the army said today.
The six road workers and a fisherman were kidnapped in separate incidents on Monday by the Abu Sayyaf extremist group amid a military operation against the Muslim movement.
Yesterday afternoon, the driver of a commuter minibus was flagged down and ordered to deliver a sack containing two heads to a military outpost in Parang town.
A few hours later the other five heads turned up at an outpost in Indanan, said regional military spokesman Major Eugene Batara, after being delivered by local residents in another sack.
"We don't know where the bodies are but the operations against the Abu Sayyaf will continue,'' Maj Batara said.
Military officials had earlier indicated that soldiers had found the heads of the kidnapped men in the jungles of Jolo.
Abu Sayyaf commander Al Bader Parad, who seized the seven men, had earlier demanded a ransom of five million pesos ($125,000) for the hostages but the local government had said it could not pay it.
Parad is leader of one faction of the Abu Sayyaf and is known to be active in the vicinity of the towns of Parang and Talipao.
More than 8000 troops are on the island with orders from President Gloria Arroyo to crush the Abu Sayyaf.
The group has been blamed for a series of bomb attacks in the Philippines in recent years as well as high-profile kidnappings of Christians, foreigners and missionaries.
It is also sheltering two members of the Jemaah Islamiah who were allegedly involved in the deadly 2002 Bali bombings which left more than 200 dead.
Intelligence officials say the Abu Sayyaf had contacts with the al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.
Severed heads delivered to military
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