Troops fail to locate Sayyafs, hostages in Sulu

SULU – Security forces have failed to locate Abu Sayyaf hideouts in Sulu province despite the continued release of hostages by the dreaded militang group tied to ISIS.

Just last weekm Abu Sayyaf rebels freed Engineer Enrico Nee in exchange for a still unspecified amount of ransom in Sulu.

Nee, who works for the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, was kidnapped in February in Jolo town.

The Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, is still holding at least 9 hostages, including three Indonesian sailors and a Vietnamese seaman, a Dutchman and four Filipinos.

Two policewomen Bennie Rose Alvarez and Dinah Gumahad were also released on May 16 barely three weeks after rebels seized them in Patikul town on April 29 along with two other civilians Jakosalem Blas and Faizal Ahidji who had been earlier freed.

Philippine police chief Oscar Albayalde flew to Sulu province and fetched the officers and presented them to President Rodrigo Duterte.

Albayalde thanked Sulu Governor Totoh Tan for his assistance in the safe release of the officers. The release of the officers came days after Albayalde sought Tan’s help in recovering Alvarez and Gumahad.

Former rebel chieftain Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front was also present during the handover, and was believed to have negotiated with the Abu Sayyaf for the release of the hostages.

The Abu Sayyaf had demanded P5 million in exchange for the officers. It was unknown whether ransom had been paid for the freedom of the police officers, but there was a report that some P2.5 million had been paid to the kidnappers.

The officers are assigned with the the crime laboratory and engineering department and were vacationing in Sulu when rebels kidnapped them near a military base. They were travelling on a motorcycle taxi when about a dozen gunmen flagged down their vehicle in Liang village in Patikul town and took them away. Police have identified the gang’s leader as Mujir Yada.