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.