Malaysian, US hostages sighted as Philippine
troops expand operations
JOLO, Philippines, Oct 7 (AFP)
- Three Malaysian hostages and an American captive have been sighted by government troops
as the army expanded operations against the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group holding
them, a regional military spokesman said Saturday.
This came as other military
sources warned that members of the Abu Sayyaf group, which had kidnapped dozens of
hostages in recent months, were trying to evade a massive military assault against them by
mingling with evacuees fleeing the violence.
Regional military spokesman
Colonel Hilario Atendido said there had been reports of the three Malaysian hostages in
the custody of Galib Andang, popularly known as "Commander Robot" being sighted
in one area with the American hostage, Jeffrey Schilling, being sighted elsewhere.
He would not say where the
hostages had been sighted or if they were still on Jolo island where they were originally
being held.
Speaking at the regional
military headquarters in Zamboanga City, Atendido also said the military was expanding its
operations against the Abu Sayyaf from the southern island of Jolo to Basilan island to
the north and the Tawi-Tawi island group to the south.
He would not say if these
expanded operations were a sign the kidnappers and their hostages might have fled.
There have been reports that
Abu Sayyaf members have managed to slip through a military cordon around Jolo island and
flee to Basilan or Tawi-Tawi and there are fears the kidnappers and their hostages could
slip out as well.
One Abu Sayyaf member was
previously arrested in Tawi-Tawi.
For days, there had been no
reported sightings of the three Malaysians, the American or another Filipino hostage being
held by different bands of the kidnappers until Atendido's announcement.
The sightings came as the
massive military assault to recover the five hostages went into its fourth week with
reports of growing demoralization in the ranks of the kidnappers.
Military officials in the
capital town of Jolo and in Zamboanga City said they had growing reports that the recruits
of the Abu Sayyaf had hidden their guns, come down from the mountains and were hiding
among the thousands of evacuees in Jolo island.
Some of these Abu Sayyaf
members had even managed to enter the capital town of Jolo, one source said.
Only the "hard core"
of the Abu Sayyaf, estimated to number about 100, were still in the mountains, the sources
said.
The military said they were
asking local officials to help identify Abu Sayyaf members among the evacuees but were
also concerned that the officials might use this as an opportunity to get back at their
personal enemies.
The military said troops were
concentrating their operations on the Jolo towns of Talipao, Patikul and Luuk with smaller
operations in the towns of Indanan and Panamao.
The government has dispatched
5,000 troops to Jolo to end an Abu Sayyaf kidnapping spree that began on April 23.
The continued abductions
angered Philippine President Joseph Estrada and prompted him to order an assault on
September 16. Two French journalists and 12 Filipino evangelists among the hostages have
since been recovered.
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