News Release - Tuesday, September 29, 2009 12:01 - 0 Comments

Gov’t forces rescue 3 teachers from ASG abductors in Basilan

Zamboanga City (PIA) — Government security forces rescued the three teachers abducted by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists during simultaneous operations in Basilan province Wednesday morning, a ranking police official said.

Supt. Danilo Bacas, spokesman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police Regional Office (PRO), said intelligence operatives of the PRO-ARMM and PRO-9 conducted simultaneous operations at around 11:30 a.m. in the towns of Ungkaya Pukan and Tipo-Tipo, both in Basilan.

The successful operations, which also involved local police units, were launched following positive information of the presence of the victims in those places.

Victim Jocelyn Inion was safely rescued in Barangay Kabangalan, Ungkaya Pukan town while Jocelyn Enriquez and Noemie Mandi were rescued in Barangay Bangkuang, Tipo-Tipo.

“It was simultaneous operations… and the kidnappers were surprised and abandoned the victims,” said Bacas, tagging the Abu Sayyaf band of Nurhasan Jamiri as responsible for the abduction of the three teachers.

Bacas said there was no reported firefight during the rescue operations. He said the three teachers were subsequently flown to Zamboanga City for medical examination.

They were snatched by armed men aboard a motorized banca off the waters of Zamboanga Sibugay last March.

Earlier, government security forces had said it strengthened intelligence gathering to locate the three victims. (PIA)