Military to continue rescue of Abu Sayyaf hostages despite beheading threat

February 22, 2019

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said military operation to rescue the victims abducted by the Abu Sayyaf will continue amid reports that the terrorist group threatens to behead three foreign hostages.

“We will just continue our on-going combat operations,” Col. Noel Detoyato, AFP Public Affairs chief, said Friday.

“We don’t negotiate with kidnappers and terrorist. There is an on-going operation against them and we will just continue with it,” he added.

Last Thursday, The Star Online, a Malaysia news agency, reported that the Abu Sayyaf threatened to behead a Malaysian and two Indonesian fishermen if their ransom was not paid.

Detoyato reiterates that the military maintain its no-ransom policy while Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the AFP Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom,) said the military is continuously operating to rescue the kidnap victims.

“Wesmincom’s effort is to locate and rescue the kidnapped victims and destroy the ASG,” he said. Robina Asido/DMS