Philippines vows justice butchered marines

MANILA — Miffed by the treacherous attack on government forces in Basilan the other day, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today Malacanang will account for the perpetrators of the dastardly act “in line with the rule of law and through the mechanisms of the peace process. ”

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is duty bound to hunt down and arrest those who have treacherously killed and beheaded the soldiers,” she said.

The President was referring to the ambush of government forces searching for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi in the hinterlands of the southern Philippine island Tuesday morning.

The attack, according to a military spokesman, was perpetrated by a joint force of Islamic militants from the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf.

Fourteen marines were killed, 10 of whom were beheaded, while nine others were wounded during the eight-hour clash, according to reports.

The President said that if the perpetrators of the ambush are members of the Abu Sayyaf, the MILF “must stand apart from these terrorists and allow the pursuit and interdiction by government forces.”

“If MILF forces are culpable, then they must be accounted for by the Ceasefire Committee and be brought to justice,” she stressed. “There can be no excuses or alibis for these acts of savagery.”

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, meanwhile, expressed hope that the peace talks scheduled in Malaysia with the MILF would not be endangered by the new clashes.