MANILA, Philippines - More troops will be sent to Sulu to arrest Abu Sayyaf bandits holding 10 people hostage, an official said yesterday.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the military will increase the number of troops in that province when necessary.
“We will continue to apply pressure on them,” he said. “The order handed to us... is to defeat the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan, in Sulu, in Zamboanga and in Tawi-Tawi.”
Col. Allan Arrojado, Sulu Joint Task commander, said military operations against the Abu Sayyaf will not stop until they have been made accountable for their actions.
“We will be on relentless campaign against lawlessness and kidnapping to arrest them and to ensure the safety of kidnap victims,” he said. “We are preparing for the next law enforcement operation.”
Arrojado said managers of an electric cooperative reported that the Abu Sayyaf shot up a transformer to demand “maintenance fees.”
“We are monitoring them,” he said. “They are still resting but we are now crafting a plan to catch up with them.”
As many as 30 Abu Sayyaf and five soldiers were killed during intense fighting in Talipao, Sulu last Friday.
Officials have so far identified 10 of the slain bandits, including Hairulla Asbang, brother-in-law of their leader Radullah Sahiron, and Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Juli Ekit.
The clashes also left 28 soldiers wounded, mostly from the Army’s 1st Scout Ranger Company.
European hostages Ewold Horn, 52, and Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47, were reportedly seen during the clashes.
Armed men kidnapped the two in 2012 while bird watching in Tawi-Tawi.
They were then taken to the Abu Sayyaf lair in Sulu.