The Philipine Communist Party (PKP-1930) condemned the last barbaric killings committed by the jihadist terrorist group “Abu Sayyaf” in Mindanao
ICP, 11 July 2017
According to the statement issued by the Secretariat of the CC of the PKP-1930, the Islamic jihadist group kidnapped the crew of a Viatnamese ship for ransom and ruthlessly decapitated 2 of the crew. One of the sailors was rescued during a government military operation on June 16, while 3 others remain captives of the terrorists. The statement reported that eleven other foreigners and 8 non-Muslim Filipinos are also held as hostages in Basilan Island in Mindanao. Abu Sayyaf terrorists have committed similiar killings last year after the their ransom demands for tens of millions of pesos were not met.
The statement of PKP-1930 said that the latest atrocity is apparently meant to draw attention to the group's ransom demands regarding the other captives, and also to get some pressure away from the government's military operations in Marawi City. Here, the rebellion since May 23 is led by Ismilon Hapilon, a Basilan-based leader of the Abu Sayyaf who styles himself as the local “emir” of the Islamic State (Daesh) in the Philippines.
The Philippine CP strongly condemned Abu Sayyaf's ruthless decapitation of its hostages and expressed its condolences to the families of the victims. PKP-1930 called on the government to press its military operations against the terrorist group in order to to save the remaining captives, to step up maritime patrols in the region to prevent further hostage-taking and also to take resolute action against local government officials in the area identified to be protectors and ransom-beneficiaries of the Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Abu Sayyaf, unofficialy known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Philippines Province, was established in 1991 as a splinter of the jihadists Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), headed by those that had fought against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Since 2016, the Duterte presidency in Philippines has been carrying peace talks with the MNLF whose leader proposed to include the Abu Sayyaf group to the peace process. Up until now Duterte has rejected peace talks with Abu Sayyaf.