27 Feb Abu Sayyaf beheads German National, Validation still ongoing
The government received reports last February 26, that Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) beheaded their hostage, German National, Juergen Gustav Kantner, from the extremists, the military are still confirming the story.
According to a highly-placed police source in Sulu, the ASG Sub-leader Muammar Askali, alias “Abu Rami”, led the decapitating of the 70-year-old German which was occurred in Sitio Talibang, Barangay Buanza, Indanan somewhere in a forested area.
A report from Manila Bulletin mentioned that Kantner’s family failed to pay ASG their ransom demand of P500 million in exchange for his freedom in which they decided to behead him. The source said that the body and head of the German National Hostage have yet to be found, but the police and other security forces are exerting their best effort to locate his remnants.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has remained silent about the reported beheading, but Secretary Dureza believed that the military was already in the process of authenticating the report. He added that Col. Cirilito Sobejana, Joint Sulu Task Force Commander, informed him by the phone that as of 8:30 pm, the validation of such report and the search and rescue operations are still ongoing.
Kantner was on his yacht in waters of Tanjong Luuk Pisuk, Sabah Malaysia last November 6, 2017, when the kidnapping incident happened. Sabina Wetch, his woman companion was raped by the ASG before they shot her to death.
Major General Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., commander of the AFP’s Western Mindanao Command (AFP-WestMinCom), said that the government troops are exerting all efforts and means to go after the ASG gunmen and rescue all the kidnap victims. He reported that the ultimatum given for the killing of Kantner might be due to the shortness of their resources and the need for them to establish new hiding areas.
“We are calling for the people of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi for renewed cooperation in order to cease the un-Islamic and barbaric activities of the ASG particularly on the kidnapping of innocent civilians,” he said.
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