Philippine troops make first hostage rescue in
blitz against Abu Sayyaf
MANILA, Oct 2 (AFP) -
Philippine troops on Monday rescued a Filipino among 17 hostages held by Muslim extremists
on the southern island of Jolo after a fierce gunbattle left two soldiers dead, military
officials said.
Christian preacher Fernando
Solon, among 13 Filipinos held by the Abu Sayyaf group, was rescued on the third week of a
massive military rescue operation launched on September 16.
There was no sign of the other
hostages, including three Malaysians and an American.
"Due to the pressure
applied on kidnappers, Mr. Solon was recovered by elements of the army's 59th infantry
batallion," military chief General Angelo Reyes said.
Abu Sayyaf gunmen abandoned
Solon in the village of Mabahay in Talipao town early Monday as they retreated from a
raging one-hour gunbattle, in which two soldiers were killed and another was wounded,
officials said.
Dazed and haggard, the soldiers
initially believed the captive was an Abu Sayyaf guerilla and only realized he was one of
the hostages after he identified himself, a spokesman for the military's southern command
said.
Solon was recovered in a jungle
area near the foothills of Mount Dahu, where a band of Abu Sayyaf members had been under
siege from the military since Saturday, when a clash there left three rebels dead.
Reyes said the latest clashes
bring to 117 the total number of Abu Sayyaf members killed since the rescue operation was
launched. Fifty-three gunmen had been arrested and 49 others were wounded, he said.
The death toll on the military
side is six, including Monday's casualties. Twelve soldiers have so far been wounded in at
least 40 encounters with the enemy.
Major General Narciso Abaya,
who commands the 4,000-strong force undertaking the assault, on Sunday ordered planes to
drop bombs in the mountainous area and intensify artillery fire where the guerillas were
believed to be hiding.
Troops had also tightened
security around Talipao and the nearby towns of Patikul and Indanan to prevent rebels
escaping.
Skirmishes were recorded at the
weekend, although the rebels managed to bury deep into the jungle during the night.
The remaining 16 hostages,
including American Jeffrey Schilling and three Malaysians, have not been sighted although
military intelligence reports indicate they were still in Jolo.
"They are still in Jolo.
We continue to follow leads on them," Reyes said.
The military however is
checking news reports that an Abu Sayyaf faction holding Schilling had managed to slip
through a naval blockade to nearby Basilan island.
Troops on Monday were combing
Mabahay and nearby villages on Jolo where the military believes other members of Solon's
Christian evangelist group were being being held by rebel leader Galib Andang, alias
Commander Robot.
Solon and other "prayer
warriors" from the Jesus Miracle Crusade, including their leader Wilde Almeda, bribed
their way into Andang's camp in July to pray over some 21 Asian and European hostages
abducted by the guerrilla group from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan on April 23.
All but one of the Sipadan
hostages -- a Filipino diving instructor -- have been freed after huge ransoms were paid.
The rebels seized more hostages
later, including two French journalists who managed to escape on the third day of the
military operation.
Angered by the Abu Sayyaf's
kidnapping spree, President Joseph Estrada ordered the military assault on September 16 to
pluck the hostages to safety and destroy the rebels.
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