Philippines kills terrorist leader who kidnapped Vietnamese ship

The Philippine military announced that it had killed a leader of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group responsible for attacking and kidnapping foreign ships, including Vietnamese ships.

Philippine soldiers have been continuously fighting with terrorists in the south of the country recently - Photo: REUTERS

According to Al Jazeera, Philippine military units were patrolling in the area off Jolo Island, 1,000 km from Manila, when they encountered Abu Sayyaf gunmen on a wooden boat on Saturday (August 12).

According to Major General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of a Philippine counter-terrorism unit, the Abu Sayyaf group is led by a commander named Badong Muktadil.

This man is wanted by Manila authorities for kidnapping, murder and attacking foreign ships in the maritime border area with Malaysia.

Muktadil's death is a major loss for the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, according to Major General Sobejana.

“The neutralization of this person is a major setback for the Abu Sayyaf group, especially in their kidnapping and terrorist activities,” the Philippine general said.

One of the recent attacks attributed to the Muktadil group was the kidnapping of six crew members from the Vietnamese-flagged MV Giang Hai in February.

Abu Sayyaf is believed to be holding about 20 hostages, including 14 foreigners, on Jolo island and nearby Basilan province. Abu Sayyaf has also allied with the Islamic State (IS) - the world's most heavily targeted terrorist organization today.

Regarding a Vietnamese citizen who was killed in the Philippines' attacks on the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, according to VNA on July 12, Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said:

“I am deeply saddened to confirm that Vietnamese citizen Tran Viet Van was killed in the attacks by the Philippine military against the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. We would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of citizen Tran Viet Van and hope that the family will soon overcome these painful moments and great losses and stabilize their lives.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines is currently coordinating with domestic and local authorities to complete forensic and legal procedures and support the victim's family in arranging the victim's funeral.

A day earlier, a representative of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam to request the Philippine side to urgently assist in resolving the incident and, at the same time, ensure the safety of the Vietnamese citizens currently being detained.

According to information from Philippine authorities, after attacks on the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group by the Philippine military in the Tolo area (Sulu), the Philippines found a number of dead people, including Vietnamese citizen Tran Viet Van.

The Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines is currently coordinating with domestic and local authorities to complete forensic and legal procedures and prepare necessary conditions to bring the victim's body or remains back to the country according to the family's wishes.

According to tuoitre.vn