(Eagle News) — Two of the six Vietnamese who were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group from Basilan last year have been found dead, a military official said on Wednesday.
Capt. Joan Petinglay, spokesperson of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, said in a radio interview that the decapitated heads of the two were found alongside their cadavers in Barangay Tumahubong, Sumisip, Basilan, at 5:40 a.m.
“Most likely, desperate measures itong ginawa nila (Abu Sayyaf) ngayon,” Petinglay said, noting that the group had not had recent “gains” recently.
She said the two victims were part of a 6-man Vietnamese crew kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf from a vessel off Sibago Island on Nov. 11 last year.
Of the six, she said one was rescued by authorities in June 2017.
“May tatlo pang naiwan sa grupo nilang nakidnap,” she said.
She said the military was holding “intensive rescue operations” since January, given the deadline President Rodrigo Duterte gave government security troops to finish off the Abu Sayyaf.
She said authorities have already conducted an “initial coordination” with the Vietnamese embassy.
Abu Sayyaf, originally a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network, has splintered into factions, with some continuing to engage in banditry and kidnappings.
One faction has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, with members among those holding parts of Marawi.
Abu Sayyaf militants are holding a total of 22 hostages, including 16 foreigners, according to Petinglay.
German national Jurgen Kantner, 70, was beheaded in February after the kidnappers’ demand for 30 million pesos ($600,000) was not met.
Last year, the group beheaded two Canadian hostages. (With a report from Agence France Presse)