AFP spies report sightings of Abu hostages

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Military informants reported sighting the 24 captives being held by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas as government troops braced for what they call a "decisive battle" to free the hostages.

Top military officials said their informants, who work as undercover agents for the bandits, saw the hostages walking the trails with their captors in the Sampinit complex, a mountain range beyond Lamitan, Basilan.

Lt. Col. Danilo Servando, spokesman for the military’s Southern Command based here, revealed that based on the information they received, the bandits dressed their hostages in guerrilla attire to conceal their identity.

However, he said their informants were able to recognize the hostages despite their new getup. "We have sources from within (the Abu Sayyaf) that feed us information," he assured.

It was the second time military spies have sighted the hostages since the Abu Sayyaf descended on Lamitan last June 2. The group seized a private hospital and a Christian church, killing at least four civilians and leaving the area in complete desolation.

Servando said they still have to confirm the exact place in Basilan where the hostages are now being kept before a rescue assault can be launched.

He noted that troops going up the hilly terrain to the Abu Sayyaf’s lair said the bandits have been very mobile and kept transferring from place to place. "But we’re sure they are still in the area," he said.

The Southcom spokesman accompanied yesterday Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva in an assessment tour of Basilan.

He told Villanueva there was no truth to reports that the bandits had freed some of their captives. "We may not be the first one to know but we are neither the last," he said, noting that no negotiation is going on for the release of the hostages.

Villanueva did not meet any member of the media and left Basilan through this city also yesterday.

"Essentially what we discussed was military operation," Servando said. "He (Villanueva) checked on the combat requirements of our troops in Basilan."

As this developed, at least three soldiers were wounded in a clash Saturday morning in Talipao, Sulu with followers of Ghalib Andang, the Abu Sayyaf leader known as Commander Robot.

Servando said the clash left a number of Andang’s followers dead, but the soldiers were able to recover only one body from the site of the battle as the other casualties were allegedly dragged by their comrades.

He said soldiers under a certain Lt. Elmer Villanueva initially encountered five of Andang’s men before figuring in a gunbattle with 30 more. "The fighting lasted for four hours," he revealed.

Intermittent fighting continued in Sulu and other parts of Mindanao despite the military’s decision to focus its attention on Basilan where the hostages are being kept.

Meanwhile, combacking lawmaker Jose de Venecia revealed yesterday that he has met with his colleagues from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi to come up with a solution to the Abu Sayyaf problem.

De Venecia, who is gunning for the speakership of the incoming 12th Congress, said he expects a draft of the solution to the crisis within two months. "We hope we can produce a practical solution to end this problem," he said. – With Cesar Ramirez