ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Naval forces seized three speedboats believed owned by the Abu Sayyaf group and took three people into custody Thursday during intensified naval operations against high-sea kidnappings in the waters between Tawi-Tawi and Malaysia.
The Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi, with its Amphibious Ready Group led by Col. Fernando Gomez, launched the amphibious operations targeting the supporters of Abu Sayyaf group and seized three ‘jungkong’ boats at Panguan Island off Sitangkai town about 10 a.m.
The military said ‘jungkong’ watercraft are Malaysian-style speedboats designed to cut through shallow waters.
The ARG includes BRP Tarlac, the Navy's newest ship. It has a helicopter, a Marine special operations unit and a Navy special warfare detachment on board.
The ARG also apprehended three people who could not produce pertinent identification documents and confiscated a shotgun and ammunition during the raid on the suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout on Panguan Island.
The JTFT is verifyinh if the seized jungkong speedboats and the three suspects are connected to the recent spate of cross-border.
The military earlier identified the Muktadil Group, a local pirate group linked to the Abu Sayyaf Group, as being responsible for the cross-border abductions.