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100 taken hostage in Philippine security crisis
菲律宾遭遇安全危机 100人被劫持
Fighting is continuing in the Philippines as government forces clash with Muslim rebels in one of the most serious security crises to hit President Benigno Aquino III’s administration.
In the southern port city of Zamboanga, Moro National Liberation Front guerrillas have barged into five coastal villages and taken more than 100 residents hostage.
On nearby Basilan island, a group of about 150 insurgents have failed in an attempt to set a villiage on fire.
Officials are still investigating the links between the two incidents.
"We see that this armed group that engaged AFP (Armed Forces Of the Philippines) personnel in Lamitan Basilan are believed to be with the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Goup)," the Philippines Armed forces spokesman Domingo Tutaan said. "So what we are trying to do right now is to assess if this incident in Lamitan is one way or another connected to the incident in Zamboanga city."
Tutaan also said the hostage situation makes it too complicated for the security forces to launch attacks.
Thursday marks the fourth day of the standoff in Zamboanga. The crisis has virtually paralysed Zamboanga, a lively trading city of nearly a million people, with most flights and ferry services suspended. Communities near the clashes resemble a war zone, with armoured troop carriers lining streets and snipers taking positions on top of buildings.
