| Philippines Muslim kidnappers
warn of violence if rescue attempted JOLO, Philippines, Aug 7 (AFP) -
Muslim extremists holding more
than a dozen hostages in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, on Sunday warned they
would unleash violence if the government resorted to a military rescue.
Abu Sayyaf senior leader, Galib
Andang, said the group was planning to release more hostages to chief government
negotiator Roberto Aventajado in exchange for livelihood projects.
But should President Joseph
Estrada decide to order an offensive to rescue the hostages, "we are prepared to
fight them", Andang said.
"If the military launches
an operation against us, they are not after a peaceful solution. We are also preparing for
that," Andang said in a taped message to reporters here.
"If they launch an
operation against us, we may be forced to burn the town of Jolo or (nearby) Zamboanga
city," he stressed.
Andang, popularly called
Commander Robot, also boasted, "we now have money, we now have enough men and
guns", to meet the military head on.
"If they do that, we will
revenge. We have funds. If they give us problems and a headache, we will give the same to
them, even bigger," Andang warned.
The group is holding captive
five French nationals, a Franco-Lebanese woman, two Finns, two South Africans, two
Germans, three Malaysians and two Filipinos.
All but three of the hostages
were among 21 people seized from a Malaysian dive resort in April and taken across the
border by boat to Jolo.
Six Malaysians and a German
woman from the original group, as well as three Filipinos abducted from nearby Basilan in
March, have been freed.
The remaining three Malaysians,
along with two Filipinos, are expected to be freed within the week as soon as Aventajado
finalises details of a livelihood project for the rebels, Andang said.
Two Malaysian officials, who
were to discuss the project with Aventajado, pulled out from scheduled talks on Sunday, a
development that could delay the five's release.
Andang said he had been
informed that Malaysia's ambassador to Manila was personally planning to fetch the three,
but he had yet to secure permission from Aventajado.
"We have already agreed on
the venue where to release those who are to be released and we already have an agreement
with Aventajado to give us livelihood projects," Andang said.
Aventajado earlier said the
rebels had asked for government funding to set up orange, mango and coffee plantations in
Talipao town, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold where the hostages are kept.
Andang's statement Sunday
virtually confirmed the group had received huge ransoms for those already freed, a claim
repeatedly denied by the local and international governments.
Police and military sources
here said the Abu Sayyaf's strength had risen to 3,000 armed fighters, including those
recruited using the ransom money raised from the abductions.
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