RED CROSS Volunteers captured in Sulu

3 International Committee members of the Red Cross, including an Italian and a Swiss, were kidnapped in Sulu province last Thursday.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief, said soldiers are currently pursuing the armed group who kidnapped Swiss national Andreas Notter, 38, ICRC head in Zamboanga City; Italian national Eugenio Vagni, 62, Davao-based delegate for the ICRC’s Water Habitat Project; and Mary Jane Lacaba, a Davao-based ICRC engineer.

Allaga said the Red Cross team had just inspected humanitarian projects in Jolo and were scheduled to take a SeaAir flight to Zamboanga City when they were kidnapped.

Sen. Richard Gordon, the head of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), said the three had just visited inmates in Patikul town when snatched by at least eight armed men near the provincial capitol around 11:30 a.m.

The victims were with ICRC medical field officer Dr. Richie Sorilla, senior field officer Ramon Catacutan and field officer Mohammad Shihata Jikiri.

Authorities said the kidnappers left the three field officers and took their cellular phones and other valuables.

Allaga said the kidnappers used the ICRC team's vehicle for their getaway. He said the vehicle has been recovered by pursuing members of Task Force Comet, headed by Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban.

The WesMinCom chief said he has yet to receive confirmation that the kidnappers are members of the Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandit group. He said the kidnappers and the ICRC team could be travelling on foot.

Reports said the ICRC officials were taken by an Abu Sayyaf sub-group headed by Albader Parad.

"The troops are in hot pursuit and the latest is they have already recovered the vehicle... They are now travelling on foot," the military official said. "They are exerting their best efforts to catch up with the abductors."

The military said the abductors were on their way to Barangay Bud Pula in Patikul town.

The Abu Sayyaf is the smallest and deadliest of Moro rebel groups operating in southern Philippines. The group is notorious for kidnappings and is based on Jolo and the nearby island of Basilan.

The bandit group has twice attacked luxury beach resorts and taken away tourists, including Westerners. They have held them for months at a time and secured large ransoms for their release.

In 2001, three kidnap victims, including an American, were beheaded by their captors.

The Abu Sayyaf has also been blamed for the bombing of a ferry near Manila Bay in 2004 that killed 100 people.

Will they not respect any banner that may come their way? They have taken it a little too far through this nonsense war of territory and rights... They themselves are showing the biiter part which they tend to fight against in the first place.

Stop the war, stop the terror, stop the horror of brothers fighting against brothers.