Abu Sayyaf militants and their German hostages in southern Philippines
Police forces in southern Philippines have launched an operation to rescue two German hostages being held by the Abu Sayyaf after the terrorist group threatened to behead one of the captives, officials said.
The Abu Sayyaf is holding German yachters - Stefan Viktor Okonek, 71, and Herike Diesen, 55, - who were abducted at sea on April 25 while en route to Sabah in Malaysia from a holiday in Palawan Island in western Visayas.
The militants demanded P250 million ransom ($5.6 million) from Germany and for Berlin to cease all support to US airstrikes against Islamic State or IS in Iraq and Syria. The Abu Sayyaf and another rebel group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter, have earlier pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State.
“There is an operation to track down the Abu Sayyaf holding the German hostages. We cannot say anything more, but the government is doing all it can to secure safely the hostages and other kidnapped victims being held by the Abu Sayyaf. This operation has been going on,” Senior Superintendent Abraham Orbita told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
The terrorist group has set a deadline until October 10 for Germany to comply with its demands, contained in a letter released by Abu Rami together with three photos of the hostages, and a copy was posted on the websites worldanalysis.net and SITE Intelligence.
The letter reads: “The Abu Sayyaf is warning the families of the hostages and the German government, and the Philippine government – first, you give us our demand of P250 million up to October 10, 2014 – or we will behead one of the hostage; secondly, Germany must cease its support to America on the killings of our brother Muslims in Iraq and Sham (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine), and our brother mujahedeen.”
There was no immediate statement from the German Embassy in Manila. But Berlin is also faced with its own jihadist problems. Quoting from Germany's domestic intelligence chief, Hans-Georg Maassen, international broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that 400 jihadists from Germany were believed to have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join the IS, and that at least 125 jihadists have already returned to Germany.
The Abu Sayyaf is still holding several foreigners and Filipinos kidnapped in southern Philippines. Among them were two European wildlife photographers Ewold Horn, 52, from Holland; and Lorenzo Vinciguerre, 47, from Switzerland, who were taken captive by in the coastal village of Parangan in Panglima Sugala town in the southern Tawi-Tawi province two years ago.
In Basilan, Mayor Joel Maturan, of Ungkaya Pukan town, said in a television interview that young Muslims are being recruited in the province to join IS also known as ISIS or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
“ISIS meron na tayo sa Basilan, isa lang sila…itong ISIS, BIFF, ASG, yun ISIS bago lang siguro (nagre-recruit) 3 months (pa) lang…baka may nag funding sa kanila?” he asked.
The Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga City has not issued any statement on the Abu Sayyaf threat to kill one German captive, and the sudden spike of support by local Muslims to IS, particularly in Basilan, Sulu and Lanao del Sur, all part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Regional government officials also did not give any statement about this. But Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala, a military spokesman, said there is no ISIS in the Philippines.
“Wala dito ang ISIS, meron dito ang mga sympathizers na sumama sa bandwagon upang makilala sila,” he said.
http://www.mindanaoexaminer.net/2014/09/police-search-for-german-hostages-held.html
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