ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines?The manhunt for the kidnappers of Irish missionary priest Michael Sinnott now depends on the police, the chief of the military?s Western Mindanao Command said Friday.

?The ball game is now in the hands of the police with regards to pursuing the captors of the Irish missionary,? Dolorfino said.

Sinnott, 79, spent more than one month in captivity before he was secured by Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces from a still unidentified group early Thursday morning.

But Dolorfino said the military will not yet recall the ?containment force? it had earlier deployed near the suspected lair of the kidnappers in Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte unless Task Force Zebra commander Director Felizardo Serapio decides it is not needed anymore.

?We are not yet pulling them off,? he said.

Serapio had said their investigators were already preparing communications to invite six suspects, mostly members and leaders of the MILF under 113rd Base Command, to shed light on their alleged involvement in the Sinnott kidnapping.

He said the police?s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was tasked to do the job, including the conduct of further investigation on the suspects? involvement.

The MILF meanwhile said it was also waiting for the result of its expanded investigation into the alleged involvement of some of its men in the Sinnott kidnapping.

?We don?t have a complete report yet from the ground commanders responsible for securing Sinnott,? Mohaqher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said.

Iqbal said the investigation was taking longer to complete because the MILF was also following a process.

But he added that an earlier investigation initially conducted by the central committee found that the allegations were baseless.

He said Aloy Alsree, for example, was even the one instrumental in Sinnott?s release when his forces pressured the kidnappers into releasing their captive.