4 Abus slain as troops seek seized Fil-Algerian sisters

From the Daily Tribune (Jun 29): 4 Abus slain as troops seek seized Fil-Algerian sisters

Government troops killed four Abu Sayyaf members and wounded five others in Sulu during combined air and ground assaults as they continued searching for two kidnapped Filipino-Algerian sisters, a military official yesterday said.

Members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group opened fire on a military helicopter in the southern island of Jolo last Thursday, prompting the soldiers to counter-attack, Col. Jose Cenabre, 2nd Marine Brigade commander, said.

“The aerial attack was launched immediately on the area which led to the four killed,” followed by a ground assault, he added.

Two of the slain Abu Sayyaf bandits were identified as Kasim Hajan and Rakman Malim while the two other Abu Sayyaf fatalities were not immediately known.

“This is part of the tactical pressure against the Abu Sayyaf group. We will continuously conduct operations against these lawless elements,” Cenabre stressed.
He, however, said there had been no sightings of Linda Bansil, 35, and her sister, Nadjoua, 39, who were seized in the area of the attack last Saturday while working on a film about Jolo’s impoverished Muslim coffee farmers.

The abduction shocked local residents, with the Muslim sisters active in human rights advocacy and having worked on films showcasing the plight of the Muslim minority.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the worst terror attacks in country’s history as well as many kidnappings of foreigners and Filipinos, often demanding hefty ransoms for their hostages.

Other Abu Sayyaf factions are believed to be holding hostages, including two European bird watchers and a Jordanian broadcast journalist.

In March, Abu Sayyaf militants released Australian Warren Rodwell after holding him for 15 months. An undisclosed ransom was paid to win his freedom.

US troops have been based in Mindanao for more than a decade to help train local troops in hunting down members of the group.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/15987-4-abus-slain-as-troops-seek-seized-fil-algerian-sisters