Islamic Militants Free 31 Inmates

Seventy heavily armed Islamic militants broke through the concrete wall of a jail with a sledgehammer to free several Muslim guerillas, releasing other inmates, on Sunday in the Philippines. Two people were killed in the ensuing gun battle. Of the 31 inmates who escaped, five were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an Islamic rebel group in talks with the government, and 12 belonged to Abu Sayyaf, a smaller and more violent group that has been linked to al Qaeda. One of the escapees was Dan Asnawi, accused of beheading 10 marines two years ago. A government spokesman said they were all “high-risk” prisoners