Amid the offensive against them, the Abu Sayyaf had freed three Indonesian nationals who were taken from a Malaysian fishing vessel near the east coast Lahad Datu district on July 9.
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The other two sailors are Lorens Koten and Emmanuel.
Gen. Restituto Padilla said the government sought the help of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) for the release of Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad on Saturday.
“The MNLF plays an important role, because they are local people and they know the region, where to escape or where to hide”, Ryamizard said.
The military has been hunting the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Indanan, Parang, Maimbung and Talipao municipalities over the past two weeks.
Dureza confirmed the release of the Indonesian captives.
John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, the two Canadians seized with Mr. Sekkingstad, were beheaded after a ransom demand of about P300 million was not met. I had him called, and he assured me that we would be able to recover alive and well Kjartan.
At a speech to soldiers at a military camp in Gamu, Isabela, Duterte said several units of the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao have pledged allegiance to the IS.
Mr. Duterte suggested at a news conference last month that P50 million had been paid to the bandits, but that they continued to hold on to him.
“It was a long, long negotiation, as far as I’m concerned”, Duterte said, noting that he had talked to Misuari on the phone during Cabinet meetings.
The Norwegian said he survived more than a dozen clashes between Philippine forces and his captors in the lush jungles of Sulu province. Sekkingstad and Dureza flew to Davao from Jolo at around 2:40 pm Sunday (Sept. 18).
Meanwhile, a separate security source, who asked not to be named as he is not authorized to speak but is privy to the ongoing operation, disclosed that the release “was a result of payment of unspecified amount of ransom”.
While there were rumors the victims were released after paying 20 million in Philippine pesos, the equivalent of $42 million, Padilla said he was unaware of any ransom paid in exchange for the captives’ release.
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, police and diplomats “have done a great deal of work” to have Mr Sekkingstad released, and thanked Mr Duterte and Mr Dureza. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said he would not rule out a third party, such as Sekkingstad’s family, paying a ransom.
The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.
Based in remote Muslim-populated southern islands of the mainly Catholic Philippines, its kidnappings for ransom – often of foreigners – have earned it millions.
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The group, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history and is listed by the United States as a terrorist organization, has been the target of a military operation since August.
