BY AARON RECUENCO
Military troopers recovered in Sulu the body of a man believed to be one of the five Indonesians who were abducted by suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Malaysian waters last January.
The body of the kidnap victim was recovered during the clearing operations following an encounter between elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion and ASG members in Barangay Maligaya in Patikul Tuesday.
Lt. Col. Ruben Guinolbay, commanding officer of the 45th Infantry Battalion, said the body of the Indonesian was recovered some 300 meters away from the encounter site.
“Our troops were in pursuit of the fleeing local terrorist group members following an encounter, when they recovered the cadaver of the slain kidnap victim,” said Guinolbay.
Last January, suspected ASG members abducted eight Indonesians in Malaysian waters. Three of them were released while the rest were taken to Sulu in a bid to negotiate ransom.
Pursuit operations have been launched to rescue the five victims but to no avail.
Brig. Gen. William Gonzales, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said face recognition done on the recovered body revealed that the cadaver belongs to one of the five kidnapped Indonesians.
“Based on facial recognition, our intelligence officer identified the kidnap victim as one of the five Indonesian kidnap victims; however, name is being withheld for further confirmation. His remains will be transported to Zamboanga City for further confirmation,” said Gonzales.
Based on intelligence reports, the victim took the encounter as an opportunity to escape from his captors, but he was shot and abandoned by the ASG bandits. (Aaron Recuenco)
