Vietnamese sailors taken hostage near Philippines

By Bennett Murray

HANOI, Vietnam (AA) - Seven Vietnamese sailors are being held hostage after their ship was attacked near the Philippines’ troubled south.

The ship, which was transporting cement from Indonesia to the Philippines, was attacked Sunday evening near the restive Sulu archipelago, reported the VN Express news site Monday.

While the attackers weren’t identified, the Abu Sayyaf terror group, which has pledged allegiance to Daesh, has a strong presence in the archipelago and is known to conduct piracy in the area using high-powered speedboats.

Upon seizing the vessel, the pirates kidnapped seven crew members including the captain and left the ship adrift.

There are conflicting reports on the number of sailors on board and how their vessel was recovered.

According to VN Express, 10 sailors were left onboard and later rescued unharmed by another Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship.

The Rappler news website cited Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo as saying that authorities conducted a maritime patrol and recovered the vessel, finding 18 crew members on board -- one of whom had been killed.

The attack comes three months after another Vietnamese ship was attacked by pirates.

Six Vietnamese sailors were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf after their cargo ship was attacked on Nov. 16, 2016.

The fate of the six men is currently unknown.

The Abu Sayyaf has conducted kidnappings, bombings and piracy throughout the Philippines from its bases in the southern islands since its founding in 1991.

It has also used its capabilities at sea to launch marine attacks against targets along the Malaysian coastline in eastern Borneo.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to destroy the group and has called for international naval cooperation to ward off its piracy operations.