DTN News: Philippine Security Forces Arrest 5 Suspects In Bus Bombing

DTN News: Philippine Security Forces Arrest 5 Suspects In Bus Bombing

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

(NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - October 25, 2010: Philippine security forces have arrested five suspects in the bombing of a passenger bus in the country's south on Thursday that left 10 people dead and 30 others injured, a military spokesman said on Sunday.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Hao, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said the suspects were apprehended by military and police forces on separate occasions in North Cotabato Province and Cotabato City on Friday and on Saturday.

The suspects were 15-year-old Piko Tnagkulo; Ibrahim Alimanan, alias Siang Ulama; Alex Samal, Yazer Talusiog; and Abdulh Alib Talusog, who are all under the custody of the North Cotabato provincial police office at present.

First to fall was Tnagkulo who was nabbed by elements of the North Cotabato provincial police office on Friday in the province. Hao could not however say the other circumstances of the arrest of Tnagkulo.

During questioning, Tnagkulo implicated the four other suspects who were nabbed by elements of the Army's Task Force Tugis and police forces around 12:30 p.m. Saturday along Sheriff st., Barangay Rosary Heights in Cotabato City.

"The latter (Tnagkulo) revealed his companions in the said bombing operation who are present in Cotabato City ... He provided the names, gave us the lead, prompting the operations in Cotabato City," said Hao.

Officials have earlier surmised that the extortion group Alcobar could be responsible for the detonation of the improvised bomb inside the bus which was in transit and on the way to Tacurong City from Cagayan de Oro City.

When asked for the group affiliation of the arrested suspects, Hao said: "We are not yet certain ... We are still checking."

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DTN News: Philippine Troops Capture Key Abu Sayyaf Camp

DTN News: Philippine Troops Capture Key Abu Sayyaf Camp Source: DTN News / AFP (NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - March 29, 2010: Philippine troops, backed by artillery and helicopter fire, have captured a key jungle camp of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group and may have killed several militants during a two-day assault, military officials said Sunday. Philippine police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa crosses out the picture of Mujibar Alih Amon, an alleged member of Abu Sayyaf, from a roster of wanted persons during a news conference in main police headquarters Camp Crame in Manila's suburban Quezon city February 25, 2010. Verzosa announced on Thursday the arrest of Amon who was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of 19 foreigners in Sipadan, Malaysia and the abduction of American Jeffrey Schilling in 2000. Marines and army troops captured the jungle encampment in Jolo island's mountainous Patikul township Friday with the help of U.S. military intelligence, regional military chief Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said. About 50 Abu Sayyaf fighters led by ailing commander Radulan Sahiron fled and were pursued by troops, he said. Two marines were wounded and several Abu Sayyaf fighters were believed killed as troops pursued the militants in an offensive that ended Sunday. At least one body of an Abu Sayyaf fighter killed in the assault was dug up by troops, he said. Dozens of army scout rangers were flown aboard air force helicopters to help pursue the militants, who were also targeted by artillery and helicopter fire, he said. Sahiron, a one-armed commander who suffers from diabetes and other ailments, apparently survived. Washington has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture or killing. Dolorfino said the camp, which was ringed with foxholes, may have also housed members of the Southeast Asian militant network Jemaah Islamiyah because of the unusually tight security. "They were frisking even their own members before being allowed entry there," Dolorfino said, citing military intelligence. "We believe many of them were killed in the pursuit operation." Troops recovered a homemade bomb and assorted ammunition in the camp and destroyed its foxholes, the military said. The Philippine army believes that up to 25 foreign militants may be hiding in Abu Sayyaf strongholds on jungle-clad Jolo, a predominantly Muslim island 590 miles (950 kilometers) south of Manila. Newly appointed military chief Gen. Delfin Bangit has ordered renewed offensives against the Abu Sayyaf in the next two months in a bid to wipe it out. The Abu Sayyaf, founded in 1991, has been blamed for bombings, kidnappings for ransom and beheadings. It has reportedly given sanctuary to Indonesian terror suspects, including Dulmatin, a key suspect in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings who was recently killed by police in Indonesia. Washington has listed the Abu Sayyaf, which has nearly 400 fighters, as a terrorist organization. U.S.-backed offensives have killed or captured many of its commanders in recent years, leaving the group without an overall leader to unify its factions on Jolo, nearby Basilan island and the Zamboanga peninsula.

DTN News: Philippines TODAY March 8, 2010 ~ Philippines Troops Kill Seven Militants In Raid

DTN News: Philippines TODAY March 8, 2010 ~ Philippines Troops Kill Seven Militants In Raid Source: DTN News / AFP (NSI News Source Info) ZAMBOANGA, Philippines - March 8, 2010: Philippine marines killed seven Islamist militants early Sunday in a raid on their remote southern island hideout, the military said. One marine was also slightly wounded in the amphibious assault on the island of Laminusa in the Sulu group before dawn, said Brigadier General Rustico Guerrero, commander of a counter-terrorism task force based in the port city of Zamboanga. Philippines troops kill seven militants in raid He told reporters the raid targeted the group of a man who goes by the alias Abu Benhur, whom he described as a member of the Abu Sayyaf group with active ties to Jemaah Islamiyah. "That was his cell," Guerrero said. "But we don't have the identities of the dead yet." He said the raiders were targeting 13 people hiding out in a warren of houses by the seashore that were fortified by bunkers, and it was possible that at least some of the militants escaped. "There were sand bags on the pathways. They were really prepared. We are thankful that only one of us was hit," Guerrero said. Two of the dead suspects are women, said Lieutenant-General Ben Dolorfino, the regional military commander. The Abu Sayyaf is a 400-member group of Islamist militants operating in the remote Sulu group and nearby islands and which has been blamed for most of the country's deadliest terrorist attacks. Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, which has carried out a series of bombings in Indonesia, are allegedly planning to set up a pan-Islamic caliphate across Southeast Asia. In recent days the military and police have expressed concern over the militants' growing use of roadside bombs in ambushes of security forces in the south.

DTN News: Philippines TODAY February 21, 2010 ~ 'Militants Killed' In Philippines

DTN News: Philippines TODAY February 21, 2010 ~ 'Militants Killed' In Philippines *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - February 21, 2010: Philippine troops killed six Islamic militants in an assault on a rebel camp in the south, the military says. It says marines raided the camp of the Abu Sayyaf group on Jolo island. Officials are trying to verify reports that a senior Abu Sayyaf commander was among those killed, Gen Benjamin Dolorfino told AP news agency. Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for bombings, beheadings and kidnappings of Filipinos and foreigners. It has been accused of links with al-Qaeda. Gen Dolorfino said Sunday's raid was carried out after intelligence reports that two Abu Sayyaf leaders were there, AP reported. One marine was killed and three were wounded during the assault. Abu Sayyaf is the smallest and most radical of the Islamic separatist groups in the southern Philippines. Its stated goal is an independent Islamic state in Mindanao and the Sulu islands. The government refuses to hold any form of talks with the rebels. Philippine officials said in December 2009 that they had arrested an Abu Sayyaf founder - Abdul Basir Latip - who has allegedly been involved in kidnapping foreigners and Christians.

Philippine Marines at rebel camp the Abu Sayyaf group Al-Qaida-linked militants where they raised a Philippine flag, background, in Indanan on the island province of Jolo in southern Philippines.

He has also been accused of forging links between Abu Sayyaf and other militant Islamist groups, such as Jemaah Islamiah and al-Qaeda.

DTN News: Philippines TODAY August 29, 2009 ~ US Denies Troops Involved In Combat In Philippines

DTN News: Philippines TODAY August 29, 2009 ~ US Denies Troops Involved In Combat In Philippines

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - August 29, 2009: U.S. officials on Friday denied American troops were violating Philippine laws by engaging in combat against Muslim militants, saying they were only training Filipino soldiers and their mission was temporary. Humvees with US soldiers on board secure the bomb blast site at a commercial center in Jolo, on the island of Mindanao on July 7, 2009. At least six people were killed and more than 40 wounded by twin bomb blasts in the Philippines Tuesday, in what officials described as coordinated attacks by Al Qaeda-linked militants. The first bomb exploded in a commercial area on Jolo island, killing six people and wounding around 30, police said. It was followed around two hours later by car bomb blast next to a parked military patrol jeep in Iligan city. Allegations that U.S. troops in the southern Philippines are building permanent structures and joining the fight against al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants have roiled nationalist and left-wing forces opposed to the American presence. A retired Philippine navy lieutenant, Nancy Gadian, testified at a congressional hearing Thursday that U.S. troops were embedded with Filipino units in combat situations in violation of the Philippine Constitution, which bars foreign troops from fighting in the country. "U.S. forces are not involved in combat operations," U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said in a statement Friday. She said American troops were on temporary deployment at the invitation of the Philippine military and government. Several hundred U.S. troops have been stationed in several southern posts since 2002, training Filipino counterparts and sharing intelligence in their fight against the Abu Sayyaf, blamed for kidnappings, beheadings of hostages and bomb attacks that have victimized Filipinos and Americans. Gadian was a planning officer for an annual U.S.-Philippine military exercise and was facing an investigation for alleged embezzlement when she accused her superiors of pocketing money. She later accused U.S. troops of violating Philippine laws. U.S. Army Col. William Coultrup, commander of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the Philippines, said the charges concerning U.S. troops were false and that he had never met Gadian. The U.S. operation has a successful community development and humanitarian component, including dental and medical missions and projects to rebuild schools, roads, wells, and seaports and airports _ part of efforts to convince the local Muslim population to turn its back on militants. The Pentagon cites the southern Philippines as an example of where U.S. efforts to train and advise other nations' militaries work well. The left-wing group Bayan, which has led anti-U.S. protests, and former Senate President Jovito Salonga have asked the Supreme Court to reconsider a decision to uphold the Visiting Forces Agreement, which governs the conduct of U.S. troops. They say the agreement infringes on Philippine sovereignty and violates a constitutional prohibition of foreign military bases. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's top Cabinet aide, defended the 1998 agreement, saying it was key to the defense of the Philippines. The U.S. military presence is a sensitive issue in the former American colony. In 1991, the Philippine Senate under Salonga voted to close down two major U.S. bases.

DTN News: 2 Philippine Helicopters Hit By Rebel Fire

DTN News: 2 Philippine Helicopters Hit By Rebel Fire *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - August 18, 2009: Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants fired at two low-flying military helicopters Sunday near a southern Philippine village where deadly clashes erupted last week, wounding two journalists and a government photographer, officials said. Philippine marines walk past residents of Jolo island in southern Philippines during a patrol August 17, 2009. The UH-1H Huey helicopters, carrying air force crewmen, a TV crew from the state-run National Broadcasting Network and a government photographer, made an emergency landing in Lamitan city on Basilan Island, regional military commander Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino said. Government troops stormed two strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group last Wednesday in predominantly Muslim Basilan, about 550 miles (880 kilometers) south of Manila, sparking fierce daylong clashes that killed 23 soldiers and 31 militants, the military said. It said the encampments were used for bomb-making training and to detain kidnapping victims. Rear Adm. Alex Pama, who helped supervise Wednesday's offensive _ the deadliest in years _ said Abu Sayyaf gunmen who were being hunted by troops may have fired at the helicopters. This photo taken on October 4, 2008 shows armed separatist Muslim guerrillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) raising their rifles after they declared red alert status around Camp Darapanan, the rebels' base in Maguindanao province, southern Philippines. The Philippine armed forces on July 23, 2009 said it has suspended its "punitive operations" against Muslim separatist rebels in the strife-torn south to pave the way for peace talks. The Hueys were flying back to a military camp in Zamboanga city at low altitude because of low clouds when both were hit. They did not return fire because there were civilian houses nearby, Pama said. Metal debris hit a TV journalist, a cameraman and a photographer, Dolorfino said. The three were briefly treated at a hospital, Pama said. The Abu Sayyaf is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations and is suspected of having received funds and training from al-Qaida. Although weakened by yearslong U.S.-backed offensives, about 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Basilan and nearby Jolo Island and the Zamboanga peninsula have recently turned to ransom kidnappings to raise funds for terror attacks.

DTN News: Philippines TODAY August 13, 2009 ~ 43 Philippine Soldiers, Rebels Killed In Clash Says Army

DTN News: Philippines TODAY August 13, 2009 ~ 43 Philippine Soldiers, Rebels Killed In Clash Says Army

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ZAMBOANGA, Philippines - August 13, 2009: At least 23 soldiers and 20 Abu Sayyaf militants were killed when the army raided a training camp run by the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels in the southern Philippines, the military said Thursday. Fourteen other soldiers were also wounded when the military launched a major offensive on the Islamist militants' camp in the town of Ungkaya Pukan on the remote island of Basilan Wednesday, officials said. Government troops managed to overrun the camp, but reports from the field said day-long clashes that followed were fierce and led to the heavy casualties, regional commander Major General Benjamin Dolorfino said. Numerous home-made bombs, ready for detonation, were recovered along with 13 high-powered firearms, he said. The fighting was the heaviest since at least 29 soldiers were killed in two separate clashes with the Abu Sayyaf in July and August 2007 -- with the bodies of 10 soldiers later being found mutilated. The military "launched a decisive law enforcement operation targeting the Abu Sayyaf's main training camp in the province", army spokeswoman Lieutenant Steffani Cacho said. "Recovered from the camp were sizeable quantities of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) rigged to explode while others were ready for use," she said. The military said they were going after about 200 Abu Sayyaf militants who were involved in the clash and that additional troops may be poured into the remote area. "The terrain is really very difficult to penetrate," said Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner, overall armed forces spokesman in Manila. "Follow (up) operations are ongoing and we hope we will be able to get the remnants of this Abu Sayyaf group." He said the military was "studying whether we need to pour in more troops into the area." Soldiers who airlifted their dead comrades to a military base in nearby Zamboanga City said those who died were hit by sniper fire. The clashes were over, General Dolorfino said, but troops were still clearing the area to ensure no insurgents remained. The Abu Sayyaf was formed in the early 1990s by Islamic firebrand Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani upon his return from Afghanistan, where he fought the Soviets alongside Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Janjalani formed the Abu Sayyaf (Bearers of the Sword) ostensibly to fight for an independent Islamic state. He was however killed in a 1998 clash with police, and the group quickly degenerated into a terror organisation specialising in bombings and high-profile kidnappings. The group has raised money by ransoming hostages but has also killed some, mostly through beheading, when they were not paid promptly. While the Philippine military has killed and captured many Abu Sayyaf leaders -- partly with US assistance -- the extremists remained active and in January they held three international Red Cross workers hostage for several months. Two hostages were freed in April while the last, Italian Eugenio Vagni, was released on July 12 after nearly six months in captivity. The Abu Sayyaf is also believed to be working alongside some 30 foreign militants from the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who are operating in the southern Philippines. The JI, blamed for the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia that killed 202, is said to be working with the Abu Sayyaf in plotting bombings in this mostly Catholic nation of 90 million, intelligence officials earlier told AFP. Filipino intelligence officials said JI militants may also have helped the Abu Sayyaf carry out a spate of bombings in Mindanao in July that killed eight people.

DTN News: Philippine TODAY July 4, 2009 - Philippine Soldiers Are Going South To Eliminate Insurgency

DTN News: Philippine TODAY July 4, 2009 - Philippine Soldiers Are Going South To Eliminate Insurgency

*Sources: DTN News

(NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippine - July 4, 2009: Soldiers board a military plane at the Villamor air base in Manila July 3, 2009 as they prepare to deploy in the Basilan, Jolu, Sulu province, to hasten the elimination of insurgency and to crush lawlessness violence in the southern Philippines.

Soldiers put on their gear before boarding a military plane at the Villamor air base in Manila July 3, 2009 as they prepare to deploy in the Basilan, Jolu, Sulu province, to hasten the elimination of insurgency and to crush lawlessness violence in the southern Philippines. Muslim rebels want the Philippine government to halt an offensive in the southern Mindanao region and revive peace talks to end a decades-old conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people, rebel leader Mohaqher Iqbal said on Wednesday.

Muslim rebels want the Philippine government to halt an offensive in the southern Mindanao region and revive peace talks to end a decades-old conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people, rebel leader Mohaqher Iqbal said on Wednesday.

DTN News: Abu Sayyaf Turns Over 3 Teachers To MILF ~ Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno

DTN News: Abu Sayyaf Turns Over 3 Teachers To MILF ~ Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno

*Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - July 1, 2009: Abu Sayyaf bandits turned over three teachers it had kidnapped in Zamboanga Sibugay province last March 13 to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said. A motorist shows his driver's license to a soldier at a military checkpoint in Cotabato city in southern Philippines July 1, 2009. Fighting has escalated in the oil and gas-rich marshlands in Mindanao in the last two months, forcing nearly 350,000 people to flee from their homes and farms and pushing back peace talks with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stalled since August 2008. Jocelyn Inion, Jocelyn Enrique,z and Noemi Mandih, were handed over by their captors to the group of MILF Commander Aloy Alsrie in Naga town, also in Zamboanga Sibugay, Puno said. Puno did not say when the MILF got hold of the captives. “As I understand, the three teachers are in the MILF camp,” he said. But Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief, said Puno’s claim was baseless. “There’s no truth to it. The captives are not in the MILF camp in Tungawan,” he said in a phone interview. Puno said the kidnappers decided to leave the teachers with the rebels to escape government soldiers who were after them. “The kidnappers went to their (MILF) camp after they were pursued by the security forces, an intimidating pursuit operation,” he said.But Puno said the MILF had nothing to do with the kidnapping of the teachers. Brigadier General Muhammad Nur Askalani, chair of the government Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag), a body formed to monitor the ceasefire between government and the MILF, said he has yet to verify Puno’s information. “I have no personal knowledge about the details,” Askalani said

DTN News: Philippines TODAY June 28, 2009 - Philippine Militants Kill 7 Policemen, 2 Soldiers

DTN News: Philippines TODAY June 28, 2009 - Philippine Militants Kill 7 Policemen, 2 Soldiers

*Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media

NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - June 28, 2009: Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants killed seven policemen in an ambush Sunday after their comrades shot to death two government soldiers in a separate attack in the southern Philippines, security officials said. Members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, who will be deployed to southern Basilan province, stand at attention during send-off ceremonies in suburban Taguig, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday June 28, 2009. Suspected al-Qaida-linked militants killed two unarmed army soldiers involved in the construction of a school building in Basilan, southern Philippines, sparking strong military condemnations and a manhunt for the attackers, officials said. Navy Rear Admiral Alex Pama said suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen opened fire Sunday on a police convoy negotiating a dirt road in far-flung Sumisip township on Basilan island, killing seven policemen. Two other policemen survived the ambush and were taken to a hospital. The policemen were returning to camp in nearby Maluso township after escorting a Basilan town mayor, who has backed recent offensives against Abu Sayyaf militants. The gunmen apparently thought the mayor was in the police convoy when they attacked, Pama told The Associated Press by telephone. The gunmen may have wanted to avenge the loss of several fighters during recent marine offensives and the recent escape of a lending company employee, whom the militants have held for months in the hope of getting a ransom payment, Pama said. In a separate attack late Saturday, another group of suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen killed two unarmed soldiers involved in the construction of a school in nearby Tipo Tipo township, also in Basilan. The soldiers, who belonged to an army engineering brigade, walked off a school construction site to buy cigarettes when they were fired upon, Pama said. Government forces are hunting the attackers. Pama said the attackers may have thought the soldiers had guns they could steal. "This is pure murder of unarmed noncombatants who were helping the town build a school," Pama said. The Abu Sayyaf, which has about 400 fighters, is listed by the U.S. as a terrorist organization because of its al-Qaida links and its perpetration of terrorist attacks, including against Americans. Since 2002, American troops have helped provide weapons, combat training and intelligence to Filipino soldiers battling the Abu Sayyaf. U.S. officials hailed Basilan as a model after U.S.-backed offensives against the group fostered a period of relative calm in the province of more than 300,000 people. But the militants and their allies have turned to kidnappings in Basilan, about 550 miles (880 kilometers) south of Manila, and outlying provinces to make money. This has raised concerns among Philippine and U.S. security officials that ransom payments could revive the group.

DTN News: Philippine Troops Seize Muslim Rebel Camp, Kill 30

DTN News: Philippine Troops Seize Muslim Rebel Camp, Kill 30 (NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - June 6, 2009: Government troops seized a Muslim separatist rebel camp Saturday following three days of fighting that left 30 guerrillas dead, a Philippine military spokesman said. A rebel spokesman denied any of its camps had been overrun. Armed separatist Muslim guerrillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) raise their rifles after they declared red alert status around Camp Darapanan, the rebels' base in Maguindanao province, southern Philippines seen recently. Government has suspended talks with the MILF after they attacked several towns across the southern island of Mindanao in August, killing dozens of civilians and burning more than 100 homes. More than half a million have been affected by the fighting, either indirectly or directly, government said. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front camp that was taken in southern Maguindanao province housed 20 bunkers that could accomodate about 200 fighters, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman for the army's 6th Infantry Division. Troops recovered ammunition and four improvised explosive devices fashioned from 60-mm mortars, he said. "This was also a bomb factory," Ponce told reporters in Manila by telephone from the division headquarters about 31 miles (50 kilometers) from the fighting. The camp was in a remote village in Guindulungan township and was ringed by four outposts with a big hall in the center, Ponce said. It also had foxholes linked to each other by trenches. He said the rebels were "well-entrenched" and the army had to pound the camp with artillery, bombs and rockets before troops moved in for the final assault early Saturday. Ponce said at least nine guerrillas were killed Thursday after fighting erupted and five soldiers were wounded. In all, 30 guerrillas were killed and more than 20 others were wounded, he said. Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu denied that a rebel camp had been seized, saying the area actually was a Muslim village. He also denied 30 guerrillas were killed in the fighting, saying only nine rebels had been wounded. He said the 2003 cease-fire between the government and the 11,500-strong rebel group has been undermined. "In principle, it is still there, but the actual situation on the ground — it is no longer existent. This is a state of war," he said. The rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the early 1970s. They had appeared on the verge of signing a formal peace deal with the government last year, until the Supreme Court blocked the agreement and rebel forces attacked civilian villages in response. Ponce said the guerrillas they had fought with this weeks were believed led by one of the rebels commanders who ordered those attacks, which killed dozens of civilians last year. Malaysian-brokered peace talks between the government and the rebels broke down last August following the attacks. The preliminary agreement rejected by the Supreme Court would have expanded a Muslim autonomous region and was to have been part of a settlement of the decades-long struggle for Muslim self-rule.

Philipines: Manila Says Options Limited For Red Cross Kidnappers

Philipines: Manila Says Options Limited For Red Cross Kidnappers

(NSI News Source Info) MANILA - April 3, 2009: Philippine officials said they were hopeful that Islamist militants holding two European Red Cross employees would soon release them after the rebels, who have come under military pressure, freed a Filipina worker.

Andreas Notter, a 38-year-old Swiss national who was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels, is seen in the Philippines in this video grab made available February 6, 2009. Three aid workers, including two Europeans, kidnapped nearly four weeks ago on a remote Philippine island appeared in good condition in video footage broadcast by local television on Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers were shown talking to an unidentified man while standing in a forested area, believed to be in the interior of southern Jolo island.

The Abu Sayaf group has been holding Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for two-and half months in the southern Philippines. On Thursday they freed Filipina Red Cross engineer Mary Jean Lacaba.

"The group that is left there is now numbering about half of what they used to be, they apparently are suffering from a depletion of many of their resources," Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno told a news conference on Friday.

"The efforts of our uniformed personnel on the ground are starting to bear fruit," Puno said. "Hopefully, the Abu Sayyaf will start to realise it is the better part of prudence and discretion to just release the hostages, and if possible save themselves."

Puno reiterated no ransom was given in exchange for Lacaba's freedom. Lacaba was reunited with her family at an airbase in the southern port city of Zamboanga on Friday after about 2½ months of captivity in the rebels' mountain lair.

She was handed over to the provincial vice-governor by the rebels on Thursday evening."I believe that the kidnappers are now more aware of the limitations that they face and the wisdom of releasing the hostages than they were a week ago," Puno said.

The three ICRC workers were abducted on Jan. 15 near the capitol and shortly after a visit to a local prison where the neutral humanitarian agency was funding a water project.

No fighting has erupted so far this week between the rebels and government troops and local government officials were facilitating negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf, Puno said.

Alain Aeschlimann, ICRC's operations chief for east Asia, southeast Asia and the Pacific, issued another appeal late on Thursday for the unconditional release of the remaining hostages.

"The nightmare of this abduction is not over," Aeschlimann said in a statement. "Once again, we ask that they remain unharmed."

The Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent militant group based on southern Jolo island and nearby Basilan, had earlier demanded that troops relax the tight cordon they were keeping around the rebel hideout before talks for the hostages' release could start -- which the government agreed to.

The rebel group, with links to the Southeast Asian regional militant network Jemaah Islamiah and to al Qaeda, has been blamed for the worst terrorist attack in the Philippines, the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 100 people.

An Abu Sayyaf rebel is seen in the Philippines in this video grab made available February 6, 2009. Three aid workers, including two Europeans, kidnapped nearly four weeks ago on a remote Philippine island appeared in good condition in video footage broadcast by local television on Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers, kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels, were shown talking to an unidentified man while standing in a forested area, believed to be in the interior of southern Jolo island.

It is also notorious for high-profile kidnappings and large ransoms and has a history of beheading captives.

Philippines: Kidnappers Threaten To Behead Red Cross Hostage

Philippines: Kidnappers Threaten To Behead Red Cross Hostage

(NSI News Source Info) March 31, 2009: A government official in the Philippines says kidnappers holding three Red Cross workers have threatened to behead one of their captives Tuesday by 2 p.m. local time (0600 UTC) unless police and troops withdraw from Jolo island. Philippine government via Associated Press Abu Sayyaf militants set up camp in the thick jungles of Jolo in the southern Jolo island. Philippine troops prepare to pull out from Jolo island in order to save the life of ICRC hostages threatened with beheading by Abu Sayyaf militants, 29 Mar 2009.

Authorities say the militant group Abu Sayyaf contacted the government late Sunday to demand a complete evacuation of government forces from Jolo, in the southern Philippines, by Monday night. The island nation's interior secretary, Ronaldo Puno, says it is physically impossible to comply with the new demand.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is appealing for the release of its three workers - Eugenio Vani of Italy, Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines and Andreas Notters of Switzerland - who were kidnapped on January 15th.

Pope Benedict also added his voice to the plea for the hostages' safety. A Vatican communiqué Monday says the pontiff is urging that "humanitarian sense and reason prevail over violence and intimidation."

In his message directed to the kidnappers, ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger said the hostages were only helping people in need, and that no ideology or religious law could justify killing them.

Last week, the Philippine government withdrew troops from a portion of Jolo Island, in response to a pledge that one of the hostages would be freed. The transfer never took place, however.

Abu Sayyaf is a Muslim extremist group that says it is fighting for an Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Since its inception in the 1990s, the group has been involved in numerous kidnappings, bombings and some of the bloodiest attacks in the region.

Philippines Tense As Abu Sayyaf Deadline Looms

Philippines Tense As Abu Sayyaf Deadline Looms

(NSI News Source Info) MANILA - March 30, 2009: The Philippines on Monday called on Islamic militants threatening to behead three Red Cross workers to fulfil their promise to release a hostage after troops withdrew from their jungle stronghold. The three Red Cross workers were snatched while on a humanitarian mission. There were no immediate signs the gunmen were preparing to hand over any of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hostages they seized on southern Jolo island in January, said provincial governor Abdusakur Tan, who heads the team trying to free the captives. "We have done everything we could. I don't know whether we could still give any other concessions, short of giving them the entire island," Tan told a Philippine radio station. "We hope and pray they will not carry out their threat by tomorrow," Tan said. Albader Parad, the spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf militant group, has said one of the three captives would be beheaded if government forces did not withdraw from the island. Manila initially rejected the demand, but relented after the ICRC's president in Geneva made a rare public appeal for cooperation to save the lives of Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Eugenio Vagni of Italy. Troops retreated from the Abu Sayyaf's jungle area, effectively leaving five towns on the island of Jolo under the group's control. Tan said Parad had told him in a telephone call that he now wants all government forces to be "restricted" to Jolo's provincial capital, effectively yielding the entire province to the group. "But we have already pulled a huge number of our forces out from the area where the kidnappers are," he said, adding that the rebels now have about 140 square kilometers (54 square miles). "They have said they will behead one of the hostages if we do not comply. We are leaving everything to God and hope they do not carry out the threat," he said. Lacaba, Notter and Vagni were seize by Parad's group while on a humanitarian mission on Jolo island on January 15. The Abu Sayyaf is an Al Qaeda-linked organization blamed for some of the Philippines' worst attacks.

Philippine Troops Withdraw From Rebel Base

Philippine Troops Withdraw From Rebel Base

(NSI News Source Info) March 29, 2009: The Philippine government withdrew about 800 security personnel around Abu Sayyaf rebels Saturday in hopes of saving the lives of three kidnapped Red Cross workers.

The rebels had threatened to behead one of their hostages if security forces did not withdraw from the southern Philippine island of Jolo by Monday. Rebels had suggested they would free a hostage if the forces withdrew.

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Jakob Kellenberger, had asked the Philippine government to consider the kidnappers' demands.

Philippine Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said troops will not completely withdraw from the island. But he says he hopes the partial withdrawal will bring the rebels back to negotiations to release the three.

The Swiss, Italian and Filipino Red Cross workers have been held since January 15, and the situation appears to be getting increasingly desperate.

The Red Cross workers are the latest kidnap victims of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group that claims to be fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines but has earned notoriety for its kidnap-for-ransom activities and beheadings.

In 2001, the group kidnapped three Americans, including a missionary couple. One was beheaded. One of the missionaries was rescued by U.S military-trained Filipino soldiers, but her husband was killed during the rescue operation.

Philippine Military Urged To Prevent Kidnappings

Philippine Military Urged To Prevent Kidnappings

(NSI News Source Info) Manila - February 1, 2009: The Philippine defence secretary on Sunday told the military to strengthen its efforts against kidnapping following a series of abductions in the south, whose victims included three staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "We must react against kidnapping very, very strongly and we really have to give the kidnappers no quarter," Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said. Teodoro said the military must also step up the campaign against illegal firearms in areas affected by kidnappings. "The number one priority is to recover all loose firearms," he said. Teodoro said the military could deploy additional troops to the affected areas or intensify combat operations against suspects. In this handout photo released by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on December 4, 2008 shows a Muslim rebel displays what they believe is a US unmanned reconaissance aircraft they claimed to have shot down in Talayan town in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines island of Mindanano in this photograph taken on November 14, 2008. American troops are providing military assistance including intelligence to Philippine armed forces who are fighting Muslim rebels and Abu Sayyaf militants. MILF chief negotiator Mohager Iqbal said the the spy plane is intact and in good condition and will not be surrendered to the US military. Al-Qaeda-linked Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels area holding three ICRC staff captive on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila. The hostages - Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba - were abducted on January 15. In nearby Basilan province, a separate group of Abu Sayyaf guerrillas abducted three Filipino teachers on January 23. Last week, a midwife working for the Lamitan City government in Basilan was also abducted by the rebels. The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines. It has also been behind high-profile kidnappings in the country. In 2000, the Abu Sayyaf abducted 21 European tourists and Asian workers from a Malaysian resort island and brought them to Jolo island. The hostages were ransomed for millions of dollars before they were freed months later. The following year, a separate band of Abu Sayyaf rebels seized 20 Filipino vacationers and three American tourists from a western Philippine resort. Most of the hostages were later rescued or ransomed, but two of the Americans were killed.