Six road workers kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked Muslim extremists were found beheaded on Thursday in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, the military said.
The severed heads of the six mostly Christian workers were found in the jungles of Jolo by soldiers, four days after the workers were seized while heading to a government road project, said Major General Ruben Rafael.
The six were seized by al-Bader Parad, a commander of the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group responsible for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history.
One of the soldiers who found the remains said, on condition of anonymity, that the heads had been scattered in various places in the largely Muslim island.
The soldier said the troops had been tipped off on where the heads could be found.
Parad had earlier demanded a ransom of five million pesos ($105 000) for the hostages but the local government had said it could not pay it.
More than 8 000 troops are on Jolo on instructions from President Gloria Arroyo to crush the Abu Sayyaf.
The group has been blamed for a series of bomb attacks in the Philippines in recent years, as well as high-profile kidnappings of Christians, foreigners and missionaries.
The group is also sheltering two members of the Jemaah Islamiyah, Indonesians Dulmatin and Umar Patek, allegedly involved in the deadly 2002 Bali bombings that left more than 200 dead.
Intelligence officials say the Abu Sayyaf had contacts with the al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden. — AFP
