Word: sayyaf
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...Noted "That is God's liking. That is probably his destiny." GRACIA BURNHAM, American missionary held captive in the Philippines by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas for a year until her rescue last week, upon hearing of the death of her husband and fellow hostage, Martin...
...heavy rains that suddenly fell in the dense tropical forest created a moment of hope. The 15th Scout Company of the Armed Forces of the Philippines sensed an opportunity to strike at its elusive prey: Abu Sayyaf, the kidnapping gang that once formed part of Osama bin Laden's terrorism network. When the deluge began on Mindanao Island, the 30-odd bandits stopped to put up makeshift tarps for themselves and their three hostages ? a Filipina nurse and an American couple, Martin and Gracia Burnham. The soldiers were already close by, having followed a trail of discarded coconut meat...
...Burnham, 42, a Christian missionary from Kansas, lay dead in the jungle. The nurse, Ediborah Yap, 48, had been shot in the back and died moments later. A bullet passed through the leg of Gracia Burnham, 43, and she had to be airlifted to Manila for treatment. Four Abu Sayyaf gang members also died in the shoot-out, but about two dozen others, including the group's leader, Abu Sabaya, escaped back into the jungle that has so successfully shielded them for years...
...pulled to their feet by the kidnappers and "used as human shields," according to Teodosio, who debriefed the Scouts. The bandits returned the army's fire, but it isn't yet clear how the hostages were hit ? whether they were caught in the cross fire or targeted by Abu Sayyaf for execution. The army is preparing an official report. Gracia Burnham reportedly characterized her husband's death as "God's liking...
...longer are American hostages, there is less reason for military advisers to be on the ground. But they were sent as part of President Bush's war on terror, not only to help free the Burnhams but also to assist in Manila's pursuit of kidnapping gangs like Abu Sayyaf and fundamentalist Muslim separatist groups with links to al-Qaeda's web of terror. Washington was in no mood to second-guess the Philippine army's efforts. "The Burnhams have not been well, and they lived in captivity a long time," said U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "It seems...