Philippines: Militant-linked gang seizes couple, child

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines (AA) – Philippine security forces have launched a pursuit operation after a couple and their son were abducted by a kidnap-for-ransom gang believed to be linked to the Abu Sayyaf militant group.

A source from the Payao Municipal Police Station in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity Saturday as he was not authorized to speak with media, confirmed the abduction took place in Kulisap village Friday evening.

The provincial police director told the Philippine News Agency that his personnel are working with military forces to track down seven gunmen believed to have ties with the Daesh-affiliated group.

“They are still in the high seas,” Sen. Supt. Romulo Cleve Taboso said. “The other troops are scouring the coastal areas."

The victims were identified as a collector for a municipal treasurer's office; a businesswoman and their 8-year-old son.

An initial police investigation showed that seven men armed with M16 and M14 rifles seized the victims while they were having dinner in their house, and forced them a motorboat waiting around 600 meters away.

GMA News also reported that the boat then sped off to an undetermined direction.

Kidnap-for-ransom gangs frequently operate in the Philippines’ southern Zamboanga Peninsula and the island provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

They are known to hand over their captives to the Abu Sayyaf and negotiate for a ransom that, if paid, is shared with the group.

Earlier this year, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded two Canadian hostages after ransoms failed to be paid. It has threatened to decapitate a Norwegian captured with them in September if a P300-million ($6 million) ransom demand is not met.

Since 1991, the group -- armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles -- has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion in a self-determined fight for an independent province in the Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf is among two militant groups in the Philippines south who have pledged allegiance to Daesh, prompting fears during the stalling of a peace process that Daesh could make inroads in a region torn by decades of armed conflict.