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Article: Philippine military blames, then denies Abu Sayyaf responsible for kidnapping six Jehovah's Witnesses
- Article from:
- AP Worldstream
- Article date:
- August 23, 2002
- Author:
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Dateline: MANILA, Philippines
At the height of the last Abu Sayyaf kidnapping spree, it seemed that
just about every crime in the southern Philippines was being blamed
on the al-Qaida-linked group. So no one was surprised when police
and the military said the guerrillas were responsible for snatching
six Jehovah's Witnesses who ventured into one of their stronghold
areas.
But after the heads of two captives were found Thursday, the military
backtracked and blamed unspecified bandits, raising questions whether
the government _ which said just weeks ago that the Abu Sayyaf was
decimated and on the run _ was trying to limit damage in a country
already suffering from a ...