Abu Sayyaf guerillas raid Philippine village, kill at least 11
By Carlos H. Conde
MANILA — Eleven people, at least three of them children, were killed in an attack believed to have been carried out by the militant group Abu Sayyaf in retaliation for the recent arrests and deaths of several of its members, officials said Sunday.
About 70 members of Abu Sayyaf strafed several houses early Saturday in the southern village of Tubigan, on Basilan, an island province in Mindanao where the group got its start, the police said.
The 11 dead included a year-old child, and 17 others, including four children, were seriously wounded. The attackers also burned down several houses. The attack was among the worst against civilians in nearly a decade, officials said.
Lt. Steffani Cacho, an army spokeswoman, said the attack might have been a “retaliatory action” by Abu Sayyaf after several of its leaders and members were either killed or arrested in a series of military and police operations in the past two weeks.
She added, however, that it could also have been prompted by a clan feud, which is common in Mindanao, the main Muslim area in the south.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/world/asia/01manila.html
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