Manila – The fate of a 70-year-old German man held captive for three months in the southern Philippines was unknown after a deadline for a ransom to be paid passed Sunday, a military spokesman said.
The Abu Sayyaf terrorist group had threatened to behead the captive held on the island of Jolo, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, if a ransom of 30 million pesos (600,000 dollars) was not paid by 3 pm (0700 GMT).
“The armed forces … has not received any information regarding the possibility that the hostage was beheaded,” said Brigadier General Restituto Padilla, a spokesman for the armed forces.
Neither was the military aware of whether any money had changed hands, he added.
On Saturday, the military launched airstrikes against suspected hideouts of the Abu Sayyaf in a forested area in the town of Patikul, where up to 60 Abu Sayyaf members were believed to have been hiding.
Philippine Marines along the tree line after an amphibious assault landing during exercise CARAT June 7, 2016 in Inagawan Beach, Philippines. (Credit Image: © Lcpl. Carl King/Planet Pix via ZUMA Wire) Photo: Lcpl. Carl King/Zuma
Hundreds of troops were also deployed on the ground in an offensive ahead of the deadline, and the military vowed Sunday it would not stop its offensives against the militants despite the threat of the beheading.
“The armed forces will pursue the enemy and dictate the terms, not the other way around,” Padilla said. “The operations are not only aimed at rescuing hostages but also to significantly degrade enemy capabilities.”
“We will not be cowed by the demands of evil individuals and groups who continue to perpetuate practices contrary to Islam,” he added.
On February 14, Abu Sayyaf released a video of the German captive, pleading with the German and Philippine governments for help.
The video came with a message from the militants, saying it was the “final ultimatum” and they would behead the captive if 30 million pesos (600,000 dollars) were not paid by Sunday.
Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said efforts were being made to appeal to the captors to free the German hostage.
The Philippine government has a no-ransom policy and discourages payments by other parties, but has not been able to stop such payoffs in past instances.
The Abu Sayyaf militants abducted the German on November 5 from his yacht off the southern Philippines. The militants shot dead his 59-year-old wife after she fought back and left her body in the boat.
Aside from undertaking kidnappings for ransom, the Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines.
President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the military to crush the militant group and warns that it could be a source of recruitment for the Islamic State extremist militia.
-dpa
