Two Philippine Villages Destroyed
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
TALIPAO, Philippines (AP) - A
military assault on Muslim rebels holding 17 hostages in the southern Philippines has
destroyed at least two villages and sent more than 14,000 people fleeing from their homes,
officials said Saturday.
In the first confirmation of
extensive damage to civilian areas, local police said 100 to 200 bamboo houses were burned
in the fighting in Bandang and Samak, destroying the villages in the municipality of
Talipao. They said the villages, an Abu Sayyaf rebel stronghold, were bombed by military
planes.
The fighting killed more than
30 rebels, police said.
The assault on Jolo island by
thousands of military troops backed by planes, cannons and missile-equipped helicopters
was aimed at rescuing 17 hostages - one American, three Malaysians and 13 Filipinos - held
by various Abu Sayyaf factions.
The military, which has tightly
controlled information about the attack, insists only two civilians have been killed
despite numerous unconfirmed reports of many civilian casualties.
On Saturday, the military
reported the first death of a soldier and said a rebel commander had been seriously
injured. Three other rebels were killed, bringing the confirmed guerrilla death toll to
28, with 60 others believed dead, it said.
Six soldiers have been injured,
the military said.
Residents in Luuk, a town about
30 miles east of Talipao, said they saw American hostage Jeffrey Schilling, 24, of
Oakland, Calif., being led by two groups of rebels fleeing from the military, Vice
Governor Munib Estino said Saturday.
Schilling's ankles and wrists
were tied and he had cuts on his arms and legs, they said. Villagers said they saw a rebel
kick Schilling from behind as they walked.
``All the people who saw
Schilling pitied him,'' Estino said.
The Abu Sayyaf rebels, who say
they are fighting for an independent Islamic state in the predominantly Roman Catholic
Philippines, have kidnapped scores of people since March. Most have been released, with
Libya and Malaysia reportedly paying more than $15 million for 19 foreigners. The
government stopped negotiations and attacked after more people were kidnapped.
Schilling visited a rebel camp
on Aug. 28 with his Filipino wife, who is the second cousin of a rebel leader. He says the
rebels abducted him after they argued over politics and religion.
Estino said about 500 rebels in
that group, armed with M-60 machine guns and bazookas were headed toward a beach,
apparently hoping to escape from Jolo. About 2,000 troops backed by howitzers, artillery,
and attack helicopters were closing in, he said.
The military has prevented most
journalists from traveling to Jolo to cover the assault. Until Saturday, the handful of
reporters on the island were restricted to its capital, also named Jolo.
Military officials have urged
journalists to depend on daily briefings held in Zamboanga, about 85 miles away. However,
military spokesmen have provided only sketchy accounts of the assault.
Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo
Reyes said he would allow a group of reporters to briefly visit the island Monday. Dozens
of journalists in Zamboanga had issued a statement deploring ``in the highest degree'' the
restrictions on press coverage.
In a trip Saturday to Talipao,
an Associated Press reporter saw many abandoned homes. Lines of soldiers with M-16 rifles
and bandoleers of ammunition around their necks marched along the roads, accompanied by
armored personnel carriers.
More than 6,000 villagers
crowded evacuation centers in Talipao's town capital, Mayor Tambrin Tulawie said.
Dirty children played in
dank-smelling schools used as emergency centers, with 60 people per classroom. Women
cooked over wooden stoves improvised from cookie tins on the dirt floors. Others took
shelter outside under tarps to escape the crowding.
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