4 abducted in Jolo

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Four persons, two of them children, were abducted in Jolo, Sulu, on Monday morning.

“It’s not right. We started Monday with the incident of abduction where among the four victims are two children,” said Brig. Gen. Martin Pinto, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu.

The abduction took place in the Asturias area of Jolo around 7 a.m. when five armed men flagged down a vehicle driven by Saddam Amli, and at gunpoint dragged out the people inside.

Pinto identified the two children as Mohammad Zaher Naim, 11, and his cousin, Princess Karanain, 8.

Naim is a son of a physician.

The victims had just left their home in Barangay (village) Alat, also in Jolo.

Pinto said they received information that the abductors fled with their victims toward Patikul on a red jeep.

In Manila, meanwhile, Captain Ryan Lacuesta, 2nd Marine Brigade’s civil military operations officer said, that the military said the Philippine Marines and Philippine National Police have launched hot pursuit operations against the abductors. With a report from Frances Mangosing, INQUIRER.net

RELATED STORY

Marine killed in Abu Sayyaf ambush in Sulu