Kidnappings

John Solecki, the head of the UN refugee agency’s office in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, was found on Saturday night by the side of a road near Quetta, the provincial capital, with his hands and feet bound, pleading: “Help me, help me!” Ethnic Baluch separatists had earlier claimed responsibility for the abduction and...
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A government official in the Philippines says kidnappers holding three Red Cross workers have threatened to behead one of their captives Tuesday by 2 p.m. local time (0600 UTC) unless police and troops withdraw from Jolo island. Authorities say the militant group Abu Sayyaf contacted the government late Sunday to demand a complete evacuation...
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British officials believe all five Britons kidnapped in Iraq almost two years ago are alive, despite claims by the hostage takers last year that one of them had taken his own life. The revelation comes after the British embassy in Baghdad received a tape of one of the hostages, the first such video in...
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MANILA, Philippines—The Filipino engineer held captive by Abu Sayyaf bandits in the mountains of Indanan, Sulu, along with her two colleagues in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has pleaded for help to end their suffering. Mary Jean Lacaba was allowed by her captors to speak on the phone with this reporter...
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The provincial government of Sulu got the commitment and support of various groups to put a stop to the un-Islamic activities of lawless elements and to resolve the current crisis the soonest possible time. Different organizations and concerned individuals of Sulu manifested their commitment and support to the Province through separate statements released to...
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Zamboanga City/Manila: Nine armed men abducted a 36-year old Sri Lankan peace worker in war-torn southern Basilan Island in a pre-dawn attack on Friday, officials said. Omar Jalil was roused from his sleep by nine gunmen, who forcibly entered his home in Maloong village in Lamitan City at 2:25am, said Basilan police director Senior...
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