Eight Abu Sayyaf men slain on Jolo

JOLO, PHILIPPINES (AFP) - Eight members of a Muslim group still holding two hostages in the southern island of Jolo were killed in a clash with the military, local residents said here on Saturday.

The military thought the members of the Abu Sayyaf group were going to surrender to them in the town of Talipao on Friday but a gunbattle broke out instead, said the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The surviving Abu Sayyaf members dragged away the bodies of their slain comrades and later buried them in a common grave, the residents added.

Elsewhere in the island, 17 Abu Sayyaf members surrendered to the military on Friday, turning in 16 assault rifles, military officers said on Saturday.

The violence and surrenders came as the military pressed on with a manhunt for the remaining members of the Abu Sayyaf which went on a kidnapping spree starting April 23, seizing dozens of foreign and local hostages and hiding them in the jungles of Jolo.

Most of their hostages were released reportedly after huge ransom payments. However in September the government ordered a massive assault against the group.

Three Malaysians, two Frenchmen and 12 Filipino Christian evangelists were recovered but an American and a Filipino hostage still remain in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf more than a month after the assault began.

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