Philippine militants linked to Al Qaeda threaten Red Cross hostage
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Al Qaeda-linked militants in the Philippines have threatened to behead a Red Cross hostage if government troops do not withdraw from their stronghold, signaling an alarming new comeback for terrorist groups in the Philippines.
The comes days after "[M]arine snipers ... fired at the [Abu Sayyaf] militants trying to breach a loose military cordon, sparking two days of clashes that killed three marines and up to seven guerrillas," reports the Associated Press.
The militants have , beginning Monday (March 23), to complete the withdrawal from part of Jolo Island (also called Sulu), reports The Inquirer, a leading English-language newspaper in the Philippines.
According to Agence France-Presse, "is the smallest but most radical of several Islamic militant groups in the southern Philippines. It is blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks and is on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations."
The Philippines' GMA News says that Abu Sayyaf is , and has given the government until March 28. But the government has categorically denied the demand.
This week's tense standoff and other recent attacks are that the Abu Sayyaf group was successfully neutralized, the Associated Press reports.
To contain the most recent standoff, the military to Abu Sayyaf's stronghold in a bid to put pressure on the militant group, Voice of America reports.
The Inquirer that as the standoff continues, a military offensive to rescue [the hostages] remains a last resort, according to Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan.
