U.S. Hostage Dead in Philippines

M A N I L A, Philippines. June 7, 2002 -- An American missionary and a Filipina nurse were killed today when the Philippine military launched a raid to rescue them from the Islamic radicals holding them captive in the jungle. The missionary's wife was freed but suffered a gunshot wound.

Elite Scout Rangers zeroed in on members of the Muslim separatist group Abu Sayyaf at around 2:30 p.m. local time near the southern town of Siraway, Philippine military officials said. They learned the rebels were accompanied by Martin and Gracia Burnham, missionaries from Wichita, Kan., who were taken captive more than a year ago, and nurse Ediborah Yap.

After radioing to their base for permission to liberate the prisoners, the U.S.-trained Rangers launched an attack. During the two-hour gunfight that ensued, Martin Burnham, 42, and Yap were killed, and Gracia Burnham was wounded. It was not clear if they were shot by their captors or hit in the crossfire.

Four Abu Sayyaf rebels were killed and eight Filipino soldiers were wounded, one seriously, Philippine military officials said.

Gracia Burnham, 43, was evacuated to a military hospital in the city of Zamboanga, where she underwent surgery for a gunshot wound to the leg.

"I was so happy when I got out of the jungle," she told doctors in Zamboanga, according to The Associated Press.

She reportedly also said her husband's death was "part of God's plan."

Philippine military officials said she would be taken to Manila, the capital, for further treatment. Her condition was described as "weak, but out of danger."

Martin Burnham's body was being flown on a U.S. plane to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Operation Daybreak

Sources told ABCNEWS the rescue attempt was not a planned operation. The Scout Rangers discovered the three hostages while in the middle of an extended operation code-named "Daybreak."

Operation Daybreak was being coordinated by U.S. personnel and involved U.S. technology, and the Philippine military had been tracking the rebels with the help of U.S. air reconnaissance. But both U.S. and Philippine officials said no American troops were in the field at the time of the rescue attempt.

U.S. troops have been helping train local soldiers to fight Abu Sayyaf in the area for several months.

ABCNEWS also has learned that three months ago, the FBI planted a tracking device in a package containing a $300,000 ransom payment. It was not known whether that device was helpful in locating the guerrillas.

The Burnhams, along with another U.S. citizen and 17 Filipinos, were kidnapped from a luxury resort by the Muslim separatist group in May 2001. The couple, both missionaries, had been celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary.

The Abu Sayyaf, a separatist Muslim group known to have ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda group, is notorious for kidnapping and beheading people. The other American kidnapped with the Burnhams, California tourist Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded last year.

‘The Battle Shall Go On’

President Bush expressed his condolences today and said he had spoken with Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.

"She assured me that the Philippine government would hold the terrorist group accountable for how they treated these Americans — that justice would be done," Bush told reporters at the White House today.

Earlier today, Arroyo called the Burnham family in Kansas to express her sorrow. But speaking to reporters in Manila today, she defended the military operation, saying: "Our soldiers tried their best to hold their fire for their [the hostages'] safety. I salute our troops for their forbearance.

"The terror [group] shall not be allowed to get away with this. We shall not stop until the Abu Sayyaf is finished. The battle shall go on," she said.

Family Receives Tragic News

After 13 anxious months spent waiting for word of their loved ones, the Burnham family received the news early today.

"We have been waiting for a call for a long time and we knew it would come in the middle of the night," said Martin Burnham's father, Paul Burnham. Nevertheless, he said, "It was very bad to take that news."

He said he did not blame either the Filipinos or American soldiers for the botched mission and his son's death. "The real enemy is the Abu Sayyaf who are ruthless killers, so we're not going to say anything about who did the right or wrong thing," he said.

Martin and Gracia Burnham's three children, ranging in age from 11 to 15, have been living with their grandparents.

In a statement, Martin's brother Doug said that while the outcome of the crisis hadn't "turned out the way we were expecting," the family was "thankful that Gracia is alive."

Martin's uncle, David Burnham, said the family had not been informed about the rescue attempt until after it was all over.

Appeal on Videotape

The Burnhams had last been seen in a video taped in November 2001 and released to local media outlets in February.

The missionary couple looked to be in poor health and briefly described their life in captivity. "Every time I hear a twig snap, I think it's a gunshot," said Gracia.

In an emotional plea, Martin said the couple just wanted to return home.

"We want to go home alive to our family," he said. "We can hardly express it in words."

Martin, especially, appeared gaunt and ill on the video, and there were reports he was suffering from malaria at the time it was taped.

It is believed that for much of the past year, the Abu Sayyaf kept the Burnhams on the remote Basilan Island.

Ransom Payment Attempted

There had been some hope that the Abu Sayyaf would be crushed with the arrival of U.S. special forces instructors in the Philippines earlier this year to help in the military offensive against the rebels. But the difficult terrain and the guerrillas' familiarity with the area made the crackdown a challenging task.

The Abu Sayyaf had demanded $2 million for the release of the Burnhams. In April, the United States helped arrange a ransom agreement that included $300,000 in privately raised money — and, apparently, the tracking device. The cash was handed over to an individual who claimed to have ties to the terrorist group, but U.S. officials were never able to verify that he actually delivered the money.

"We just know that there was an agreement made, and Martin and Gracia were to be released, and they were not," Martin's mother, Oreta Burnham, told ABCNEWS' Good Morning America last month. "What went wrong or what happened we don't know, but we do know that they have not been released as the agreement was made."

ABCNEWS' Mark Litke in Manila, Philippines, Brian Hartman at the Pentagon and Roberto Palacios in the Philippines contributed to this report.