Philippine militants kill seven police, two soldiers

Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants killed seven policemen in an ambush today after their comrades shot to death two government soldiers in a separate attack in the southern Philippines, security officials said.

Navy Rear Admiral Alex Pama said suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen opened fire on a police convoy negotiating a dirt road in far-flung Sumisip township on Basilan island, killing seven policemen. Two other policemen survived the ambush and were taken to a hospital.

The policemen were returning to camp in nearby Maluso township after escorting a Basilan town mayor, who has backed recent offensives against Abu Sayyaf militants. The gunmen apparently thought the mayor was in the police convoy when they attacked, Rear Admiral Pama said.

The gunmen may have wanted to avenge the loss of several fighters during recent marine offensives and the recent escape of a man whom the militants have held for months in the hope of getting a ransom payment, Rear Admiral Pama said.

In a separate attack late on Saturday, another group of suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen killed two unarmed soldiers involved in the construction of a school in nearby Tipo Tipo township, also in Basilan.

Government forces are hunting the attackers. The attackers may have thought the soldiers had guns they could steal.

“This is pure murder of unarmed non-combatants who were helping the town build a school,” Rear Admiral Pama said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has about 400 fighters, is listed by the US as a terrorist organisation because of its al-Qaida links and its perpetration of terrorist attacks, including against Americans.

Since 2002, American troops have helped provide weapons, combat training and intelligence to Filipino soldiers battling the Abu Sayyaf. US officials hailed Basilan as a model after US-backed offensives against the group fostered a period of relative calm in the province of more than 300,000 people.

But the militants and their allies have turned to kidnappings in Basilan, about 550 miles south of Manila, and outlying provinces to make money. This has raised concerns among Philippine and US security officials that ransom payments could revive the group.