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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Military in all-out bid to save Abu hostages

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The military on Monday   said it is hell-bent  on  rescuing  all the remaining  hostages of  the   Abu Sayyaf Group based in Sulu  amid news that the employer of the 10 Indonesian sailors  paid P50 million for their safe release on May 1. 

Military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla  insisted the    military was not aware of any ransom payment made by the Indonesian tugboat owner, saying that the state troopers are focused on freeing the kidnap victims.

“The [military] has been fully focused on the conduct of military operations in the area for the past couple of weeks. We have devoted full attention  to the rescue of the victims and the decimation of the kidnap-for-ransom groups in the island. We are not aware of any ransom payments or negotiations to that effect. We are not also aware of the actual circumstances for their release,” Padilla said.   

The 10 Indonesians whom the  ASG abducted recently off Tawi-Tawi  were dropped off by unknown men Saturday night in front of the residence of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II.

Padilla said they expect concrete results from the ongoing military operations to rescue the kidnap victims.        

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“We do believe that the ongoing operations we have launched since the other week  have  a profound effect on the ability of these groups to conduct their activities at will. We assessed that we have made their world smaller and in due time we will come to a decisive engagement to force them to release the remaining hostages they current hold,” Padilla said. 

He also reiterated the government’s no ransom policy  and the  military will adhere to it.

“We want to end this series of criminal acts. The payment of ransom, besides being against the government’s policy, will only encourage further activities of the same nature,” he explained.

With the release of the 10 Indonesians, the ASG has more 10 kidnap victims left, some  of them  foreigners.   

On April 25, the ASG made true  their  threat to  behead one of the  four hostages  they abducted last year from the Island Garden City of Samal  after relatives failed to deliver ransom money.   

The  head of  68-year-old John Ridsdel, a Canadian citizen, was stuffed inside a sack that  was thrown  by two motorcycle-riding men in front of the  municipal hall of Jolo town.  His body was later found by several Jolo residents.

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