Four Indonesians kidnapped near southern Philippines
Four Indonesians kidnapped near southern Philippines
Agence France-Presse, Zamboanga, Philippines
Four Indonesian tugboat crewmen were kidnapped in waters off the
southern Philippines by suspected Muslim Abu Sayyaf guerrillas,
officials said on Tuesday.
The tugboat, with a crew of 10, was towing a barge carrying
coal from Indonesia to the central island of Cebu when it was
intercepted off the coast of Tamuk island near the rebel
stronghold of Basilan.
Regional military chief Major General Ernesto Carolina said
the tugboat and barge, together with six remaining Indonesian
crewmen, had been located and were being brought to this southern
city.
The six crewmen told the Philippine military that 11 gunmen,
using three motorboats, had boarded the tugboat and taken the
captain, the chief officer, chief engineer and chief mate
hostage.
They also made off with some of the vessel's communications
equipment.
The gunmen then sped off towards the Sulu group of islands,
also a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, a ruthless band of
kidnappers linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
The Indonesian embassy in Manila said it would not release the
names of the victims until further verification with authorities
in the south and the other crew members.
Two MG-520 attack helicopters were sent to Sulu to help the
coast guard in the search for the kidnappers.
Carlos Bigamoy, representative of World Mariners Inc. which
contracted the tugboat, said coal supplier, Singapore-based Noble
Energy, had identified the kidnappers as members of the Abu
Sayyaf. He would not elaborate.
Military intelligence sources in the south also pointed the
finger of blame at the Abu Sayyaf.
"We cannot categorically say if this was Abu Sayyaf or just
ordinary bandits," Carolina said, adding the attack could have
been mounted to "relieve the pressure" on their fellow members
under an intensified military assault in the south.
The Abu Sayyaf, which is the target of joint US-Philippine
operations, lost its main hostages when local troops mounted a
rescue attempt on June 7 and recovered American captive Gracia
Burnham. However, Her husband, Martin, and a Filipina hostage
were killed in the raid.
The rescue operation prompted the Philippine military to
intensify its efforts to crush the group in the islands of Sulu
and Basilan and in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte.
Security was beefed up also after suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels
engaged American troops in a brief firefight.
The incident, which occurred on Monday in the outskirts of
Basilan's capital town Isabela, marked the first time U.S. troops
came under fire since joint military operations to crush the Abu
Sayyaf began in January.
Carolina said the attack on the US troops happened in
Kumalarang district which is known to harbor Abu Sayyaf
sympathizers.
About 10 gunmen fired upon American military engineers working
on a road project, prompting U.S. Marines who were guarding them
to return fire.