Image capture of video from PTV’s YouTube channel- Abu Sayyaf’s speedboat, arms cache recovered by government troops in Tawi-Tawi
- The speedboat was believed to be used by the Abus in their illegal activities
- The extremist group, however, eluded capture
The government troops that have been scouring islands in Mindanao in search for the Abu Sayyaf Group recovered a small cache of firearms and a speedboat in Tawi-Tawi on Friday, April 29.
Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Major Felimon Tan said the watercraft and the firearms were found around 5:50 a.m. in Siluag Island in Tawi-Tawi.
Tan said the following firearms were recovered: one caliber 50 machinegun; one caliber 60 machinegun; five M-16 Armalite rifles, one of which with attached M-203 grenade launcher; one M-79 grenade launcher; one US-made Carbine rifle; a caliber .38 revolver; and, a caliber .357 magnum revolver.
Assorted ammunition was also recovered by security forces. The speedboat, locally known as “jungkung,” was believed to be used by the Abu Sayyaf in their illegal activities, Tan said.
As mentioned in a Sun Star article dated May 1, 2016, the Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi troops were conducting law enforcement operation when they discovered the firearms and the speedboat.
The government troops, however, found no sign of the Abu Sayyaf Group. The bandits are believed to be still holding more than 20 hostages, among them, 10 Indonesians, eight Malaysians, a Norwegian and a Canadian, and some Filipinos.
On April 23, one of the Canadian hostages, 68-year-old John Ridsdel, was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf after the deadline it set for the payment of ransom expired. Ridsdel family was not able to produce the P300 million being demanded by the bandits for his release.
This article has been viewed 513 times.
Post a Comment