ZAMBOANGA CITY: Suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) rebels hijacked a cargo ship off the province of Tawi-Tawi, killing one Vietnamese crew and abducted six sailors before escaping to the open sea. An interpreter interviewed the Vietnamese sailors, but details of this were not immediately available, although security forces in the area have been alerted on the abductions. It was not immediately known whether Abdullah or any of the gunmen participated in the hijacking of the Vietnamese ship. Last January, a group of Abu Sayyaf rebels attempted to hijack a Filipino cargo ship while sailing off Basilan province. Manila also allowed Indonesia to do the same following the spate of Abu Sayyaf attacks on its tugboats in Sabah and Tawi-Tawi.

Source: Manila Times February 20, 2017 14:20 UTC