Offensive amid threat to behead German

MANILA // The Philippine military said it would press assaults to crush the Abu Sayyaf militants, who threatened to behead a German hostage by a ransom deadline that lapsed yesterday.

Military spokesman Brig Gen Restituto Padilla said troops were continuing operations to rescue foreign and local hostages, including German captive Jurgen Gustav Kantner, who is believed to be held by the militants in the jungles of southern Sulu province.

In a video online this month, Mr Kantner said the militants would behead him by mid-afternoon on Sunday if a ransom were not paid.

The militants, who belong to an Abu Sayyaf faction led by Hatib Sawadjaan, were demanding 30 million pesos (Dh2.2m), officials said. There was no immediate indication whether the militants had pushed through with their threat despite a last-minute appeal by president Rodrigo Duterte’s adviser, Jesus Dureza, urging them to spare the hostage.

“Deadline or no deadline, troops are exerting all efforts and means to go after the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and to rescue all kidnap victims,” the military command in charge of the Sulu region said.

Abu Sayyaf is desperate for money and lacks encampments where they could hide their hostages because of continuing battle setbacks, military officials said.