The Philippine military says gunmen have seized at least 75 people, most of them schoolchildren, after a raid on a remote elementary school in the southern Philippines. Military officials say the gunmen abducted the residents of a village on Mindanao island on Thursday. Police said 15 of the children were later released. The southern Philippines is plagued by banditry, loosely supervised government-armed militias, and Muslim and communist insurgents. Officials say police are pursuing the gunmen who appear to be using the hostages as human shields to escape. Last month, 57 people

Philippine police say they have identified and are seeking 161 people, including government militiamen, for involvement in last month's gruesome massacre of 57 people. National police chief Jesus Verzosa says witnesses identified Andal Ampatuan Jr., a local mayor, as the person who led the killings.  He is accused of leading the group to stop supporters of a rival politician from registering him for next year's provincial governor elections in Maguindanao.  Ampatuan Jr.