Troops gird for offensive vs Sayyaf

From the Manila Standard Today (Oct 12): Troops gird for offensive vs Sayyaf

WITH only six days before the deadline set by the Abu Sayyaf, security forces massed at several areas in Sulu island ahead of an apparent military offensive aimed at flushing out the extremists who are holding at least seven foreigners, including two Germans.

“We will hunt down the Abu Sayaff Group. We are hoping for the safe release of the hostages,” said Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang, who will fly to Jolo today to check on preprations for the looming operation.

Catapang did not say when the operation will commence, but at least 1,000 fresh troops from the Army’s 501st Infantry Brigade and at least 100 Special Forces commandos plus a company of search dogs have earlier been sent to Sulu.

The deployment were made after the Abu Sayyaf threatened to behead one of their two latest captives – two elderly Germans who were seized from a yacht enroute to Malaysia –  if their ransom demand of P240 million is not met before Oct. 17.

The military is hoping that the increased number of troops will pressure the Abu Sayyaf to release their hostages, like they did in December 2013 when the extremists released Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani after 18 months amid an intensified military operation.

But the increased number of government troops on the island is making other armed groups edgy, according to Absalom Cerveza, spokesman of the Moro National Liberation Front.

“I hope the military will be prudent in selecting their targets because they are operating in an area populated by armed groups,” Cerveza said, fearing a misencounter.

“There are many armed groups in Jolo,” Cerveza reminded the military. “There are groups connected to politicians, groups like the MILF, MNLF and local bandits.”

He also cautioned the miltiary against hoping that the Atyani incident will be repeated because the extremists holding the Germans “when cornered may execute their hostages.”

The Abu Sayyaf are believed to be holding a total of seven foreigners.

German nationals Stefan Viktor Okonek, 71, and Herike Diesen, 55 were abducted from a yacht at sea on April 25 while heading to Sabah from a holiday in Palawan.

Also abducted were well-known European birdwatchers Ewold Horn, a 53-year-old Dutchman, and Lorenzo Vinciguerra, a 48-year-old Swiss national, who were bird-watching on Tawi-Tawi when they were kidnapped on Feb. 1, 2012.

They were later brought to Sulu on the orders of Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron who is supposedly holding them in the hinterlands of Talipao town.

The Abu Sayyaf are also holding two Malaysians, Wai Tung and Jie Tung, who were abducted from Lahad Datu in Sabah on Nov. 14, 2012 and brought to Sulu. He is being held by another Abu Sayyaf leader named Jul Asman Sawadjaan in Indanan, Sulu.

The seventh victim is Japanese treasure hunter Toshio Ito, who was kidnapped in Sulu on July 16, 2010. He is also believed to be in the custody Sahiron in Indanan, Sulu.

On October 7, the two Germans were allowed to speak with journalists on live radio in Zamboanga and they appealed to the Philippine and German governments to work harder for their release.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/10/12/troops-gird-for-offensive-vs-sayyaf/