Philippine Forces Free Scores Held by Muslim Rebels
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Version 0 of 1. The Philippine military on Tuesday rescued almost 80 of the 100 hostages being held by Muslim rebels, a major breakthrough in a battle that has paralyzed an important southern city for more than a week. Three soldiers were killed in the operation, in which 64 hostages were initially set free, with 14 others then managing to walk to freedom. “Our soldiers used selective fire to neutralize the kidnappers,” Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, a military spokesman, said in a statement. The standoff began when the insurgents, from the Moro National Liberation Front, entered the port city of Zamboanga by sea on Sept. 8, tried to take control of City Hall and, the police said, declared an independent Islamic state. When the police tried to repel them, the insurgents took scores of hostages and retreated to other parts of the city. Because of the insurgent threat, more than 70,000 residents of the city have been displaced, and at least 50 people have been killed in the clashes, with hundreds of homes destroyed. Government officials said they had now recaptured 70 percent of the coastal areas of Zamboanga. |