MANILA, Philippines - The military will continue hunting down the Abu Sayyaf holding three foreigners and a Filipina hostage since last year.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said the troops are under orders to ensure the safety of the hostages – Canadians John Ridsel and Robert Hall; Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Maritess Flor – in their operations against the Abu Sayyaf.
“We will just continue with our focused military operations based on available information to support the police operations,” Detoyato said.
Detoyato made the statement after the Abu Sayyaf posted a video last Tuesday showing the four captives surrounded by gunmen threatening to execute them in a month if the demands for ransom are not met.
The hostages themselves appealed to their families and governments to do what’s needed to meet the demand of their abductors in a month or they will be executed.
No ransom figure was mentioned in the video but the Abu Sayyaf earlier demanded P1-billion ransom for each of the foreign captives.
This is the third time the bandits have released a video of the hostages. Last October, a post on social media demanded a halt to military operations in Sulu before the start of negotiations for the freedom of the hostages.
Last November, the kidnappers released another video of their victims and demanded P1 billion in ransom for each hostage.
“The safety of the hostages is a primary concern during our combat operations. While doing all these efforts to secure the safe return of the kidnap victims, we also call on the peace-loving people of Jolo to share with the nearest government authorities any information that may help in the safe recovery of the kidnap victims,” Detoyato said.
The four were seized from a resort in Samal Island on Sept. 21 and were believed to have been brought to and held captive in Sulu.
The military said they were checking the veracity of the video.
Detoyato said the sustained military operation against the Abu Sayyaf is in line with the no ransom policy of the government.
Detoyato said the video is a good indication of the hostages’ present condition and also presents important information on the kidnappers.
The Philippine National Police for its part has secured a copy of the video clip and forwarded this to its Anti-Cybercrime Group for analysis and evaluation.
“We are very careful with regard to the videos and that’s the reason why we endorse videos to ACG for further analysis,” PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said.
In coordination with military operational matters, Mayor said there are several police teams conducting operations against kidnapping groups in the Sulu area.
Meanwhile, government troops overran two suspected camps of the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, commander of military’s Joint Task Group Sulu, said troops from the Army’s 10th Scout Ranger Company initially figured in a firefight with several Abu Sayyaf gunmen at Sitio Mabusing, Barangay Langhud on Thursday.– With Roel Pareño