MANILA -- Al-Qaida-linked militants fatally shot three abducted rubber farm workers after their families failed to pay a ransom, the military said Saturday.
The victims' bullet-riddled bodies were found by residents in a village outside Sumisip town in the island province of Basilan, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf bandits, Basilan military commander Brigadier General Eugenio Clement said.
Gunmen led by senior Abu Sayyaf commander Furuji Indama seized the three men from a passenger minibus on May 27. They demanded P3 million in ransom from their families, who are too poor to raise the amount, Clement said.
The abductions came two weeks after troops raided an Abu Sayyaf camp, killing a militant and capturing 14 others. (AP)