Terrorism & Security
Philippine militants linked to Al Qaeda threaten Red Cross hostage
Abu Sayyaf vows to kill one of three hostages if government troops do not withdraw from their stronghold.
ABU SAYYAF: Members of the militant group cook on the island of Jolo in the southern Philippines in this undated photo. The group is holding three Red Cross workers hostage on the island.
Philippine government official/AP
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Al Qaeda-linked militants in the Philippines have threatened to behead a Red Cross hostage if government troops do not withdraw from their stronghold, signaling an alarming new comeback for terrorist groups in the Philippines.
The threat of beheading comes days after "[M]arine snipers ... fired at the [Abu Sayyaf] militants trying to breach a loose military cordon, sparking two days of clashes that killed three marines and up to seven guerrillas," reports the Associated Press.
The militants have given the government one week, beginning Monday (March 23), to complete the withdrawal from part of Jolo Island (also called Sulu), reports The Inquirer, a leading English-language newspaper in the Philippines.
In a telephone interview Tuesday morning, Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad told this reporter that the new ultimatum is for the "serious implementation of a military pull-out" on areas they indicated in their talks with Sen. Richard Gordon, namely, Santol in Patikul and Tagbak in Indanan.
The hostages, all workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) — Italian national Eugenio Vagni, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba — were seized by the group in Jolo Island on Jan. 15. Today is their 69th day in captivity.
According to Agence France-Presse, Abu Sayyaf "is the smallest but most radical of several Islamic militant groups in the southern Philippines. It is blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks and is on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations."
The Philippines' GMA News says that Abu Sayyaf is asking for two-thirds of the island of Jolo, and has given the government until March 28. But the government has categorically denied the demand.
The spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Wednesday said they will not give in to the latest demand supposedly made by the Abu Sayyaf group holding three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers captive in Sulu.
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