Philippine rebels threaten to massacre hostages
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines, Sept 14
(AFP) - Filipino Muslim extremists threatened on Thursday to massacre 22 hostages held in
south Philippine cities if the military mounts an operation against them.
Abu Sabaya, spokesman of the
Abu Sayyaf group, also said guerillas would attack Zamboanga City and Jolo, the capital of
Jolo island, where the hostages are being held, if a rescue operation is launched.
"We will attack, just in
case there is a military operation," he said in an interview with RMN station.
He said Muslims should leave
Zamboanga City and Jolo town so that "they will not be massacred."
The Abu Sayyaf rebels are
holding the hostages -- two French journalists, three Malaysians, one American and 16
Filipinos -- in the jungles of Jolo island.
"If we wait in the forests
for this military operation, maybe we will just suffer hardship. This has to be in the
city so the fight will be fair," Sabaya said.
He put the present Abu Sayyaf
strength as 10,000 and warned that they could "give a big headache to the
government."
The military says that ransom
from hostages released so far has attracted new recruits to the group, which it estimates
at 4,000 strong.
"We are not afraid of
being condemned," Sabaya said, adding "let them think a thousand times before
they move on to the military option because this will be a big problem to the
government."
Government intelligence reports
say Abu Sayyaf members are moving about freely in the Jolo town centre.
The Philippine government,
enraged by the latest abduction of three Malaysians by the Abu Sayyaf on Sunday, has said
it was considering all options, including a possible military attack, to resolve the
four-month old hostage crisis.
Sabaya also reiterated that
Jeffrey Schilling, the American hostage they were holding, was sick and that no medicine
had been sent to them.
Meanwhile, in Manila, Defense
Secretary Orlando Mercado said "we know that there will be much bloodshed," if
troops assaulted the Abu Sayyaf but "once they give the go-signal, the soldiers are
ready."
He said troop morale was high
even though it would be a difficult operation to flush out the guerillas.
The government earlier said it
is still waiting to see if negotiations will bear fruit for some hostages before
considering a military assault.
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