The Jakarta Post, 4/17/2007 6:22:33 PM
7 men kidnapped by suspected al-Qaida-linked militants,
Philippine police say
MANILA (AP): Suspected al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants abducted seven men
on southern Jolo island, including six workers for a government road project,
Philippine officials said Tuesday. Police were trying to track down the victims and
their abductors.
Six road project workers were heading to Jolo's Indanan town from Parang when Abu
Sayyaf gunmen blocked their truck and seized them at gunpoint, police chief
superintendent Joel Goltiao said.
A dried-fish factory worker was abducted separately by the gunmen while traveling in
a passenger jeep in Parang, also on Monday, he said.
Jolo Gov. Ben Loong, citing a police investigation, said the kidnappings were believed
to have been staged by Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad, who operates in
Jolo's mountainous townships of Indanan and Parang.
Some village leaders were helping to locate the kidnap victims, he said. He declined
to say whether he would be willing to negotiate with the Abu Sayyaf or whether a
ransom had been demanded.
The kidnappings were an indication that the Abu Sayyaf remains capable of banditry
and terrorist acts despite battle setbacks dealt by a large U.S.-backed offensive that
started in August, he said.
Loong said it was unclear whether the kidnappings were intended to divert troops who
are hunting for Muslim rebel commander Habier Malik and his men from the Moro
National Liberation Front. Malik was blamed for deadly mortar attacks in Jolo last
week.
Military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said Malik has provided sanctuary to Abu
Sayyaf guerrillas and Indonesian militants who have been targeted by the U.S.-backed
offensive, which resulted in the killing of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani
lastyear and his presumed successor, Abu Sulaiman, in January.
An estimated 300 to 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen remain at large on Jolo, about 950
kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila. Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf
as a terrorist group and has offered large rewards for the capture of its top
commanders. (**)
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