ZAMBOANGA CITY: The Joint Task Force Basilan rescued on Friday a Vietnamese seaman kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) seven months ago. The Abu Sayyaf fighters hijacked the Vietnamese cargo ship and seized six crewmen, including its captain, in a daring attack on November 11, 2016 that wounded one sailor. Gen. Custodio Parcon, Jr., were going after remnants of the group of the slain Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Abraham Hamid when the encounter happened. Since January, 83 Abu Sayyaf members have been killed in the all-out military campaign against terrorism in Western Mindanao. Of this, 14 were killed in Basilan, 62 in Sulu and seven in Tawi-Tawi, the military added.

Source: Manila Times June 17, 2017 15:28 UTC