ZAMBOANGA CITY: A Vietnamese sailor kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group was found in a village in Sulu province where security forces clashed with militants. The report cannot be independently confirmed and the military’s Western Mindanao Command did not give any statement whether the recovered cadaver of the militant was actually that of the Vietnamese hostage. The information provided by the duo led troops to the hideout of Abu Sayyaf commander Almujer Yadah in Patikul. Their ship captain, Noel Besconde, was beheaded on April 13 by the Abu Sayyaf after his employer and family failed to pay ransom. Their decapitated bodies were recovered in the village of Tumahubong in Sumisip town in Basilan province.

Source: Manila Times July 12, 2017 16:07 UTC