Posted on 07/11/2007 1:44:04 AM PDT by Ghayyour
Islamic militants in the southern Philippines have killed 14 marines, beheading 10 of them, a military spokesman has said. Nine other marines were wounded and at least four rebels were killed during the incident on Basilan island.
The clash took place as the marines were searching for an Italian priest.
The priest was seized in June by kidnappers believed to be from either Abu Sayyaf or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Both groups are seeking an independent Islamic state in the southern Philippines.
Ceasefire violation?
The priest, named as Giancarlo Bossi, was seized by armed men near the coastal village of Bulawan near Zamboanga on 10 June.
Marine spokesman Lt Col Ariel Caculitan said the marines ran into a group of some 300 armed men during their search for him, triggering the clash. Lt Col Caculitan said that 14 marines had been killed. The number of rebels who died is unconfirmed, but reports vary from four to at least 20.
Initially, the military assumed that the rebels were mainly from the Abu Sayyaf group - the smallest but deadliest of several Islamic groups fighting the Philippine government.
But army officers say that Abu Sayyaf gunmen do not have a presence in the area where Rev Bossi was kidnapped.
A spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) later confirmed that some its members had been involved in the clash, despite the fact the MILF is currently engaged in peace talks with the government.
Mohagher Iqbal, the chief negotiator for the MILF, said the marines had attacked one of the group's strongholds, violating a ceasefire agreement, and that his forces had therefore fought back.
"The incident could have been avoided if the government had co-ordinated with our forces in Basilan before they actually moved in," he told reporters.
But he denied that the MILF was responsible for the beheadings, or that it was involved in the kidnapping of the priest.
Start to kill the rebels with overwhelming force and end the problem. It’s not like they are being stealth.
Islamic militants in the southern Philippines have killed 14 marines, beheading 10 of themI thought the BBC wasn't going to use the word "Islamic" anymore? Shouldn't this story have been about Southern Baptists, or Mormons?
They are consistent and we know what to expect from them - and we still let them come to our country?
By the way... the muzzies claimed that it's the Marines' fault.
Well, they refused to use the word "terrorist". They said it was 'militants' who cut the heads off of 9 Philippino marines. That's a wee bit more than 'militancy', as I understand the term. That is something that filthy, sub-human terrorists do to instill terror into the hearts and minds of the living. Screw the BBC and the rest of the msm, they have the same credibility and intellect as the Enquirer, or Mad Magazine.
MILFs???
you have got to be kidding me......
MILFs has different meanings on different websites :)
Asia pinglist ping.
While it isn't a good thing that these marines died, it could lead to a moderate decrease in cooperation between corrupt military personnel along with bolstering support against the islamofascists.
The Philippines and various related words are often misspelled.
I will admit that Spell Check caught my error before posting. By I specifically hit the Spell button to check the spelling of Philippines, so I get part credit!
I will admit that Spell Check caught my error before posting. By I specifically hit the Spell button to check the spelling of Philippines, so I get part credit!
It’s a common muslim fighting methods... beheading actually ensures 100% death to an enemy, obviously! Muslim warfare is neither communist, barbaric or democratic... it’s just the Muslim way - treacherous attacks, beheadings, rape and mass murder.
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