April 20, 2007, Associated Press, Philippine Army Vowed to Crash Abu Sayyaf Militants after Beheadings, by Paul Alexander,

April 20, 2007, Associated Press, Philippine Army Vowed to Crash Abu Sayyaf Militants after Beheadings, by Paul Alexander, 

The Philippine army, outraged by the beheadings of seven Abu Sayyaf hostages whose heads were delivered to troops o­n southern Jolo island, ordered its units Friday to intensify efforts to wipe out the "barbaric" militants.

The men—six road project workers and a dried-fish factory worker—were kidnapped at gunpoint by the al-Qaida-linked militants in two separate incidents Monday near the town of Parang, 960 kilometers (600 miles) south of Manila, the military said.

Two severed heads were turned over to a group of civilians late Thursday, who were ordered to take them to an army detachment in Parang. The five other severed heads were handed over to army troops at another detachment in nearby Indanan town, the military said in a statement.

The rest of the remains were recovered in Parang early Friday, Sulu provincial Governor Ben Loong told a government radio station, and appealed for calm. He said all the victims were Christians from Zamboanga city o­n the main southern island of Mindanao.

"The government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are here. The government will take care of you, no matter how long this trouble will last," Loong said.

All other construction projects o­n Jolo were suspended because of security concerns, he said.

Maj-Gen Ruben Rafael, commander of military forces o­n Jolo, said the civilians were ordered to take the heads by Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad, who operates in Jolo's mountainous forests.

The United States, whose troops have been involved in counterterrorism training and campaigns o­n Jolo to draw local support away from the militants, has offered a US $15,000 reward for information leading to Parad's capture.

"This is a retaliation for the killing of o­ne of their commanders," Rafael said. "This is a terrorist act that should be condemned by all."

He said the company that employed the road workers had refused to pay a ransom demanded by Parad.

The Philippine army commander, Lt-Gen. Romeo Tolentino, after learning about the beheadings, ordered his units o­n Jolo "to double their efforts and intensify military operations to destroy the barbaric Abu Sayyaf to prevent them from further harming the hardworking, peace-loving and innocent civilians of Sulu" province.

The Abu Sayyaf has not issued any statements claiming responsibility for the kidnappings or beheadings.

The notorious group is o­n a list of US terrorist organizations and has a reputation for bombings, mass abductions and beheadings in the Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf and its Indonesian allies from Jemaah Islamiyah have been blamed for plotting several bomb attacks, including a February 2004 blast that ignited a fire aboard a ferry, killing 116 people in Southeast Asia's second-worst terror attack.

It has been the target of a massive US-backed military offensive o­n Jolo that started in August and has resulted in the deaths of its top two leaders.

Loong said that the kidnappings showed the Abu Sayyaf remains capable of banditry and terrorist acts despite a number of battlefield losses.

An estimated 300 to 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen remain at large o­n Jolo.