Vigilantes give Sayyaf April 15 deadline

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Armed vigilantes gave the Abu Sayyaf yesterday 12 days or until April 15 to release 33 hostages, threatening to execute by firing squad the relatives of the extremist group's leader whom they had snatched in a bizarre tit-for-tat move.

The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 53 teachers, students and a Catholic priest after a failed attack on an Army post in Basilan last March 20.

They released 20 hostages in exchange for food and medicine, but warned they would kill the rest if the military launched an offensive.

The Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO), led by former rebel Abdul Mijal, retaliated by snatching 11 relatives of Abu Sayyaf leader Khadafy Janjalani, including his wife Karima and one-year-old daughter Jasmin.

Mijal said he relayed the ultimatum for Janjalani last April 1 to safely release the 33 hostages by the 15th, or his relatives would be lined up and shot.

"We are getting tired of the situation. For several days nothing has changed," Mijal said. "This is the only way we can think of for the Abu Sayyaf to cease from their terrorist activities against civilians," Mijal said.

The Abu Sayyaf's 33 hostages reportedly include two of Mijal's relatives. Mijal is a bodyguard of Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar, but

Akbar has denied any role in the abduction of Janjalani's relatives.

Negotiations to free the hostages have been hampered by interference of local officials. The rebels also said they would now only negotiate with a representative from the Vatican or with local movie action star Robin Padilla, who has converted to Islam.

Mijal demanded the Abu Sayyaf release the hostages unharmed before any of Janjalani's kin.

"They had better not harm the hostages or else we will execute Janjalani's relatives one by one," he said.

The militia leader pointed out that if they had not abducted Janjalani's kin, the Abu Sayyaf would have demanded P5 million in exchange for the release of the hostages.

The Abu Sayyaf earlier said they would not agree to a hostage swap, and threatened to behead Fr. Roel Gallardo and other male hostages if the military launched a rescue operation. The rebels said they would spare the child captives but would train them to become guerrillas and turn the female teachers into camp servants.

Asmad Salayuddi, spokesman for the "Al-Harakatul Islamia" Abu Sayyaf Group, demanded that the military immediately pull out its forces in Sumisip town so as not to hamper negotiations.

"We cannot negotiate with the presence of the military," Salayuddi said. "If the military insists on conducting rescue operations, we cannot assure the safety of the hostages."

Meanwhile, the military reported that five guerrillas belonging to another Muslim rebel group and one soldier were killed in fighting Sunday in Matongao in Lanao del Norte province.

Army troops patrolling a remote village in the town encountered about 150 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas, triggering a four-hour battle that also wounded four soldiers.

The military said the rebels were led by the same MILF commander who launched attacks against army outposts in several Lanao del Norte towns last month. -- With Roel Pareño, AFP, AP