ZAMBOANGA CITY, 23 February 2004 — Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized a motorboat after briefly holding hostage four fishermen off Basilan Iisland in the southern Philippines, officials said.
The gunmen, who were on board a speedboat, intercepted the fishermen near Tamuk Island before dawn Thursday and held them at gunpoint, said Col. Fredesvindo Covarrubias, chief of the military 4th Civil Relations Group (CRG).
“The rebels sped away with the motorboat after ordering the fishermen to jump into the cold water,” Covarrubias told Arab News.
Covarrubias said the fishermen swam to the island and later reported the incident to the military. “There is an ongoing operation. Troops are tracking down the rebels,” he said. He said the took all the money and personal belongings of the fishermen.
In Talipao town of Jolo Island, gunmen attacked a remote village and wounded a six-year old girl, the military said.
Rebels reportedly attacked the village of Bandang before dawn yesterday, firing at thatched houses
The motive of the attack is still unknown, the military said.
On Thursday, gunmen snatched a seven-year old schoolgirl in downtown Jolo. The gunmen killed the driver who was bringing schoolgirl Rachel Guhit to school.
The girl’s father was a former Marine soldier who owns a clothing store in Jolo.
Further south in Tawi-Tawi province, police arrested three people and seized a cache of high-powered weapons in their hide-out.
Provincial police chief Esa Hasan said two of those captured — Ismail Jumili and Irwin Jumili — had been implicated in the killing of a village chieftain Rasad Karim and his wife last month in Bongao town.
