Grisly video latest weapon in Philippines war

U.S. Special Forces and their Filipino counterparts on patrol in Isabela town, Basilan island

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine government has released a gruesome videotape of alleged guerrillas beheading captured soldiers.

The decision was made by the government in an attempt to bolster support for a U.S. military training exercise aimed at wiping out a Muslim extremist group, the Abu Sayyaf.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said Tuesday the videotape was seized last year at an Abu Sayyaf camp on Basilan island.

U.S. Special Forces are on Basilan to observe Filipino troops hunting the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, who have been holding an American missionary couple and a Filipino nurse hostage for nearly nine months.

The poor-quality tape -- compiled over several months in late 1994 and early 1995 -- was aired late Monday by at least two Philippine television networks. One showed the graphic footage complete; the other blurred the beheadings.

"It's to show to the public the real face of the enemy because what we've seen in the past weeks ... has been that some sectors would rather forget the real reason behind our intensified campaign against this terrorist group," Capco told The Associated Press news agency.

IN-DEPTH U.S. military in the Philippines    VIDEO CNN's Maria Ressa reports on U.S. Special Forces taking part in Philippine war games with live ammunition and the controversy surrounding the move Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)    CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

"What the tape has shown is the enemy is not human at all."

Repeated hackings

Adan said parts of the tape were used by the rebels "to gather financial support" in the Middle East through an al-Qaida connection. One scene showed rebel casualties, including a man with his jaw smashed by a bullet and a woman being treated by a guerrilla medic.

Another scene shows an alleged guerrilla hacking a man lying on the ground four times on the neck with a large, wide-bladed knife while several others watch.

In another, a guerrilla in camouflage comes from behind a sitting, blindfolded man, his hands tied behind his back, and hacks him on the neck. The man does not fall immediately and the guerrilla hacks him again.

The video also showed the soldier being asked his name and how many Muslims and Christians he has killed. The soldier was told to recite the "Our Father" prayer before the guerrilla beheaded him.

Adan said the beheadings followed a clash with the Abu Sayyaf in January 1995 in which nine soldiers and two government militiamen were killed.

Critics wary of U.S. motive

At the time, he said, the Abu Sayyaf was known to have maintained links with the al-Qaida terrorist network.

About 660 U.S. soldiers, including 160 Special Forces members, will be involved in the exercise in the southern Philippines.

Only Special Forces are to visit combat zones and will be armed only for self-defense.

The Abu Sayyaf seized dozens of hostages in a rampage starting last May. Some escaped and others were released, reportedly for ransoms. Others were killed, including Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California, who was beheaded.

Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas, and Basilan nurse Deborah Yap, are the last hostages still in Abu Sayyaf hands.

About 5,000 Filipino soldiers have been on Basilan in a rescue operation. But the guerrillas, estimated to number about 80 on the island, have eluded them for nearly nine months.

Critics say the training exercise is a cover for actual combat operations by the Americans to rescue the American hostages, violating Philippine constitutional restrictions on the presence and activities of foreign troops on sovereign soil.

The left-wing New Patriotic Alliance said in a statement that showing the videotape was a "desperate attempt to legitimize U.S. military presence in the country," adding it need not be convinced that the Abu Sayyaf is "utterly despicable and should be wiped out completely."