Gunmen Kill 21 In Philippines Over Political Rivalry
Philippine troops found 21 bodies in the country's restive south
after dozens of gunmen on Monday hijacked a convoy of politicians and supporters filing their nominations for next year's elections, officials said.
The victims, 13 women and eight men, were found in southern Ampatuan township, 3 miles from where they were taken hostage as they traveled in three vans earlier Monday, regional military commander Maj. Gen. Alfredo Cayton said. The identities of the gunmen were unclear but victims' relatives blamed political rivals.
Philippine elections are particularly violent in the south because of the presence of armed groups, including Muslim rebels fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation, and political warlords who maintain private armies.
The decades-long Muslim insurgency has killed about 120,000 people since the 1970s. But a presidential adviser, Jesus Dureza, said Monday's massacre was "unequaled in recent history."
- "Philippines Political Violence leaves 21 dead", BBC News, 11/23/09.
- "Terrorism Havens: Philippines", Council on Foreign Relations, 6/1/09.
- "Abu Sayyaf Group", Council on Foreign Relations, 5/27/09.
- "The Philippines: Running in Place in Mindanao", International Crisis Group, 2/16/09.
- "Treading Softly in the Philippines", The Weekly Standard, 1/5/09.
- "The Philippines: Counter-insurgency vs. Counter-terrorism in Mindanao", International Crisis Group, 5/14/08.
- "Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)", New York Times Topics Website.
