7 hostages beheaded in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines AP) _ The heads of seven men who were kidnapped by Muslim extremists on a volatile southern island were delivered to a Philippine army detachment on Thursday, officials said.

The men _ six road project workers and a dried-fish factory worker _ were kidnapped at gunpoint in two separate incidents Monday near the town of Parang.

Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael, commander of military forces on Jolo island, said a group of civilians was ordered to take the heads to Parang by Muslim rebel commander Habier Malik, whose men have been battling troops since last week.

"This is a retaliation for the killing of one of their commanders," Rafael said. "This is a terrorist act that should be condemned by all."

He said the company which employed the road workers had refused to pay a ransom.

Malik, who heads a breakaway faction of a group called the Moro National Liberation Front, is accused of launching mortar attacks on two marine camps, a town hall and residential areas on Jolo since Friday. The attacks have sparked clashes with troops that have killed at least 21 people and displaced 45,000 villagers.

He also is suspected to have joined forces with the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

Abu Sayyaf is on a list of U.S. terrorist groups and has a reputation for bombings, mass abductions and beheadings in the Philippines. It has been the target of a massive U.S.-backed military offensive on Jolo that started in August and has resulted in the deaths of its top two leaders.