ZAMBOANGA CITY(Mindanao Examiner / June 20, 2014) – Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded one of their Filipino hostages who was wounded during a clash with government soldiers in the southern Philippines, reports said Friday.
Troops pursuing the militants have recovered the headless body of Remegio Lingayan in the town of Indanan in Sulu province. Lingayan was kidnapped along with his brother-in-law Joselito Gonzales – both natives of Zamboanga City – on June 4 while working on a construction project in the province
Quoting a military report, the Anadolu Agency, said Lingayan was hit by bullets when soldiers and policemen tried to rescue him during the fighting. The militants could not provide medication to Lingayan so they decided to behead him. The report can be accessed on this URL http://en.haberler.com/abu-sayyaf-beheads-wounded-hostage-fleeing-gov-t-472952.
The fate of Gonzales is unknown.
There were no official report from either the police or military about the beheading of Lingayan, but the fighting had killed and wounded at least 40 soldiers and militants.
Seven soldiers and at least 10 Abu Sayyaf fighters were killed in the clashes that also wounded two dozen troops, according to the statement of the military’s Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City.
The militants, whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya, recently demanded P7 million from the poor families of the two victims and threatened to decapitate them if ransom is not paid.
The Abu Sayyaf is also holding several foreigners kidnapped in Tawi-Tawi province and Sabah in Malaysia and brought to Sulu, where government officials and residents have repeatedly denounced and condemned the atrocities of the militant group. (Mindanao Examiner)
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