Troops seize Abu Sayyaf 'harboring sites' in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Government troops have recovered three camps of the Abu Sayyaf Group while conducting pursuit operations in the jungles of Sulu.

Col. Alan Arrojado, commander of the Joint Task Group (JTGS), said the camps that were separately set up in Patikul jungles were discovered by soldiers on Wednesday while pursuing Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron, whose group is holding captive Dutch ornithologist Ewold Horn.

Arrojado said the camps are "harboring sites" of the bandit group. He said the camps had abandoned nipa huts, clothes and food.

The troops also found in one of the harboring sites six 20-liter plastic containers and two 15-liter containers filled with ammonium nitrate, packs of blasting caps and PVC pipes, which are all ingredients for bomb making.

"The recovered harboring sites have indications that the ASG terrorists are on the run brought about by the focused military operations," he said.

Arrojado, however, would not say if there indications that the Dutch national was held in one of the harboring sites.

Horn's companion, Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra, was able to escape from the bandits last December 6.