[Reuters] A Filipino soldier kidnapped last week in the southern Philippines by the Abu Sayyaf was found beheaded, the military said on Sunday, hours after Philippine soldiers killed three more members of the militant group in an encounter elsewhere.The head of Sergeant Anni Siraji of the 32nd Infantry Battalion was found 50 meters away from his body in Patikul town in Sulu. Military spokesman Cirilito Sobejana said Siraji was probably abducted and executed because of his involvement in peace initiatives in Sulu. He said, "He is involved in peace efforts. He is not actually a combatant. We are using him to engage stakeholders because he is a Tausog (like most Abu Sayyaf militants)."
Earlier on Sunday, the military said troops had killed three more Abu Sayyaf militants on the resort island of Bohol where they were hiding after a failed attempt to kidnap tourists. The military was pursuing two or three more rebels still at large in Bohol, far to the north of their strongholds in the southern Philippines. Colonel Edgard Arevalo said, "We have reports indicating that they were also wounded and running out of supplies."
A group of about ten rebels infiltrated Bohol earlier this month. Six of them were killed in a clash on April 11 and one last week. Among those killed was their leader, who had been involved in the kidnap and execution of Canadian and German nationals in recent months.