27 March 2017•Update: 28 March 2017
By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
Philippine government forces have rescued three remaining Malaysian sailors held hostage by a Daesh-linked militant group in the troubled southern island province of Sulu, according to the military Monday.
Their rescue comes less than a week after that of two other colleagues seized in mid-July from a tugboat between the Philippines’ Tawi-Tawi island province and the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah -- a region where Abu Sayyaf-linked kidnap-for-ransom gangs are known to operate.
Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Western Mindanao Command chief, said in a statement Monday that days of “unrelenting massive search and rescue operations by sea, air, and land units” yielded positive results.
He said Mohammad Jumadil Rahim, Mohammad Ridzuan Bin Ismael and Fandy Bin Bakran were rescued in Sulu before midnight Sunday.
Their colleagues Tayudin Anjut and Abdurahim Bin Sumas were recovered in waters near Pata island last week.
Joint Task Force Sulu's commander, Col. Cirilito Sobejana, said in Monday’s statement: “Following the lead and the information gathered from Anjut and Sumas, we immediately dispatched all available resources to the area... This pressed the bandits to leave the Malaysians behind while government forces were pursuing them."
The three sailors were brought to a military hospital in Sulu’s capital Jolo for medical attention and debriefing.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak commended the Philippine government for the successful rescue.
"The government would like to express gratitude to the Filipino government, law enforcement authorities for its commitment to securing the safe release of Malaysians,” local media quoted Razak as saying at parliament.
According to the military, the Abu Sayyaf is still holding captive 20 foreigners -- among them nationals of Indonesian, Vietnam and the Netherlands -- and seven Filipinos.
Since 1991, the group -- armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles -- has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion. It has pledged allegiance to Daesh.
