Abu Sayyaf militants kill 11 in south Philippines

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines — Al-Qaeda-linked Muslim militants killed 11 people in the southern Philippines on Saturday, hours after two hostages they were holding walked free, the government said.Members of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group and other gunmen raided the town of Maluso on Basilan island before dawn, killing a government militiaman and 10 civilians, said regional health chief Kadil Jojo Sinolinding."Most of the victims were still asleep when they were strafed and then their houses were torched," he said after treating the victims.Seventeen people were also wounded in the attack with nine in critical condition, four of whom were children, said Sinolinding.Among the victims was a one-year-old girl whose burned body was later found in the ruins, said Basilan police chief Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza.Mendoza also charged that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country's main Muslim separatist group, took part in the clash despite a ceasefire they signed with the government to seek a peace accord."Some members of the MILF have participated," he told reporters.Spokesmen for the MILF could not be contacted for comment.Soldiers were sent to secure the area but the attackers fled after burning four houses including the village chairman's, said military spokeswoman Lieutenant Steffani Cacho.The military is searching for the attackers but there have been no reports of further clashes.The attack, led by Abu Sayyaf commander Puruji Indama, was motivated by a personal grudge with the village chairman, said Mendoza.However, the police said they were also looking into whether the attack might be linked to the recovery of two factory workers kidnapped by the same Abu Sayyaf group in Maluso over three months ago."It is possible that they are connected because the same perpetrator is behind the kidnapping and the attack on the town," said regional police head Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag.Indama kidnapped factory workers Michael Tan, Oscar Lu and Mark Singson on November 10. Sing

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