43 massacred in Philippines

MANILA. November 24. KAZINFORM At least 43 people were murdered in the lawless southern Philippines on Monday in a massacre that the military and relatives of the victims said was likely linked to a political rivalry; Kazinform refers to the Arab News.

Supporters of a prominent local politician in Maguindanao province and 12 local journalists were among those murdered, with some of them beheaded and mutilated, the military and relatives said.

Armed forces spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said the bodies of 21 people had been recovered, 13 of whom were women.

According to military estimates, 43 people were murdered by militiamen, said Brawner. "We believe more bodies are buried in the ground and we are trying to recover them," he added. A massive operation was ordered to ensure the security of civilians in the area, he announced.

The murders occurred after gunmen linked to Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan abducted members of a rival political clan and the local reporters who had been traveling in a convoy on Monday morning, according to Brawner.

Before the reports of the massacre, Brawner said the leader of the militiamen who staged the kidnapping was one of Ampatuan's sons.

The leader of the rival political clan that was attacked, Esmael Manguda-datu, had been going to file his nomination papers for the governorship of the mainly Muslim Maguinda-nao province for next year's elections. He was not in the group of about 40 people that was abducted, apparently after he had received warnings from Ampatuan's people not to register in the polls; Kazinform cites the Arab News.

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