Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines free 10 Indonesian hostages

Freed Indonesian tugboat crewmen sit inside a house in Jolo, Sulu province, southern Philippines. Pic: Office of the Sulu Governor via AP

2nd May 2016

PHILIPPINE authorities announced the release of 10 Indonesian tugboat crewmen who were abducted at sea by Abu Sayyaf militants in March and taken to a jungle encampment in the southern Philippines.

Jolo Police Superintendent Junpikar Sitin said the Indonesians appeared well when he saw them on Sunday before they were brought to a military camp in Jolo town in the Sulu province. The freed captives were to be fed and then eventually handed over to Indonesian officials.

Jolo town Mayor Hussin Amin welcomed the release of the Indonesians, but said he was unaware whether they were ransomed off.

An Indonesian negotiator claimed that the militants had not been paid off.

“The liberation has been made without money. It was the results of negotiations and cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines in military intelligence,” retired army Major General Kivlan Zein said on Monday, reported the Antara News agency.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Wilben Mayor said an unidentified person driving a yellow Tamaraw jeepney handed over the 10 captives to Sulu Governor Toto Tan. Tan said the drop-off took place in front of his residence between 10 to 11 a.m., according to CNN Philippines.

The Philippines attributed the release of the hostages to military pressure exerted on the Abu Sayyaf group.

“We believe this is the result of continuing focused military operations we have been conducting,” said military spokesperson Restituto Padilla, reported the New York Times.

“In order to move freely, they needed to let go of some of the hostages.”

Abu Sayyaf gunmen beheaded a Canadian hostage in Sulu on April 25 after they failed to receive a ransom. Philippine troops have launched an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf.

The militant group still holds four Malaysian sailors, which it kidnapped shortly after abducting the ten Indonesian men, and several other foreign nationals, including a Canadian and a Norwegian.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press