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| Southeast Asia |
| Students rescued, cop killed |
| 2005-04-23 |
| A POLICEMAN was killed as government forces yesterday rescued 14 schoolgirls and two men abducted by gunmen in the southern Philippines. The military said a firefight broke out near the town of Piagapo on Mindanao island around 2pm Melbourne time after they caught up with the 10-member gang. "We recovered all the victims safely," said Brig-Gen Ben Dolorfino. He said the kidnappers withdrew after losing control of the teenage schoolgirls, who told their rescuers the kidnappers were armed with handguns and assault rifles. No group has claimed responsibility, but the area is a hotbed of Muslim separatists waging a decades-old rebellion. The gunmen took the mini-bus near the town of Saguiaran earlier in the day, abducting 22 students and two staff members of staff from a high school attached to Mindanao State University. The students were marched off at gunpoint toward a mountainous area north of Lanao lake. The gunmen freed six of the girls along the way, Brig-Gen Dolorfino said. Some of the six suffered blisters on their feet from their long march, but were otherwise unharmed, he said. When police and military caught up with the gang, they were still holding 14 girls and two men. "Initial reports are that this is a bandit group out to make a fast buck," Brig-Gen Dolorfino said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |