3 more Sayyaf bandits dead in intense military
air strikes
By Marian Trinidad and Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE prospect of
a house-to-house search in Jolo for supporters of the Abu Sayyaf loomed yesterday as Camp
Aguinaldo sources bared that rebels had already distributed a big share of the ransom paid
for the Sipadan hostages to their relatives and friends on the island.
The report,
military officials said, lowered hopes for the recovery of hundreds of millions of pesos
worth of ransom.
The Armed Forces
sources disclosed this development as military airplanes and helicopter gunships pounded
Abu Sayyaf hideouts on this island with bombs and rockets on Sunday in a campaign to
rescue 17 foreign and Filipino hostages.
The daybreak
aerial bombardment followed the killing Saturday of three members of an Abu Sayyaf outfit
on the hills of Patikul, six kilometers from downtown Jolo. One soldier was injured.
The aerial attack
echoed through the island’s capital, but its results were not immediately known.
Military commanders told reporters they were sure there were no hostages in the hills
targeted by the attack.
Patikul kin
An Army spokesman
said fighting in Patikul started when the bandits opened fire on a military convoy driving
through a village supposedly cleared of Abu Sayyaf presence. The military reinforced the
patrol with artillery.
Military officials
in Manila said the fact that numerous Jolo households had received money from the rebels
proved they were supporters of the hostage-takers.
with Reuters
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