Hostage rescue team ill-prepared: Philippine police

MANILA Aug 24 (Reuters) - Philippine police said on Tuesday the assault team which tried to rescue 15 people held on a bus by a gunman was poorly trained and armed and offered condolences to the families of the eight hostages who were killed.

The PNP said in a statement its command group had noted "some observations and defects" in handling the hostage crisis on Monday in Manila, including "inadequate training and competence of the assault team leader" and "inadequate capability, skills, equipment and planning of the assault team". Other issues included poor handling of negotiations, side issues and events that agitated the hostage-taker, improper crowd control and breakdown of relations with the media. (Reporting by John Mair; Editing by Ron Popeski)