BY MARTIN SADONGDONG
The body of one of five Indonesian kidnap victims by the militant Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) which was recovered Tuesday was positively identified by relatives, the military said Friday.
Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), identified the victim as La Aba, a 35, male.
The Indonesian Army and police attaches likewise confirmed the initial findings of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu.
La Aba was among the five Indonesian fishermen who were abducted by the ASG in the waters between Tambisan and Kuala Meruap in Lahad Datu, Sabah – which is close to the Philippine sea border – on January 16.
His body was recovered by elements of the 45th Infantry Battalion, a day after an intense firefight between the military and ASG bandits in Barangay Maligay, Patikul.
It was the same encounter which killed Arsibar Sawadjaan, the alleged cousin of ASG top bomb maker Mundi Sawadjaan. (Martin Sadongdong)
