Sayyaf seized 7 people in Southern Philippines

BASILAN – Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Monday seized 7 people in the restive province of Basilan in the southern Philippines where security forces are fighting the notorious rebel group blamed for the spate of terrorism in the region.

Officials have confirmed the attack and said troops were dispatched to track down the rebels in Sumisip town where the abductions occurred.

First Lieutenant Sally Magno, of the army’s joint task force group in Basilan, said all the victims were construction workers heading to their job site when rebels intercepted them. “They were on a truck when intercepted (by the Abu Sayyaf) in (the village of) Upper Benembengan in Sumisip,” she said.

Magno said the truck was transporting 9 workers, but the two managed to escape and inform authorities about the abductions.

“The military, in coordination with other concerned law enforcement agencies, are currently conducting operations to rescue the victims,” she said.

The military did not release the names of the victims or whether they are Muslims or not, but the Abu Sayyaf is notorious for beheading their Christians hostages.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abductions. (Mindanao Examiner)

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