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| Southeast Asia |
| Manila: Efforts being made to free Malaysian sailors from Abu Sayyaf |
| 2016-09-27 |
| [THESTAR.MY] Efforts are being made to secure the release of five Malaysian sailors held hostage by Abu Sayyaf ...also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya, an Islamist terror group based in Jolo, Basilan and Zamboanga. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the group has carried out bombings, kidnappings, murders, head choppings, and extortion in their uniquely Islamic attempt to set up an independent Moslem province in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf forces probably number less than 300 cadres. The group is closely allied with remnants of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiya and has loose ties with MILF and MNLF who sometimes provide cannon fodder... gunnies in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, Philippine ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya said. Manila is committed to securing the safe and early recovery of all kidnap victims including the Malaysian tugboat crew members, Malaya said in a statement. He said the Philippine authorities were also sharing intelligence with their Malaysian counterparts in the effort to rescue the hostages. Following an order by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Eduardo said that nine police and military battalions, comprising some 9,000 personnel, have been deployed to conduct operations in Abu Sayyaf hideouts in Jolo. "This is in order to recover all kidnap victims and put a stop to kidnap-for-ransom and other atrocities of the group," he added. The operations, Malaya said, had led to a significant number of boats being confiscated. "The Philippine navy has also put up a blockade," he added. Referring to a telephone call pleading for help from Malaysian hostage Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, arranged by an Abu Sayyaf front man, Eduardo said the gunnies were trying to pressure Philippine authorities to relent on the ongoing operations. |
| Posted by:Fred |