RED CROSS KIDNAPPERS INCREASE DEMANDS, SITUATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 000686 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2019 TAGS: PGOV MOPS PTER PINR KISL RP SUBJECT: RED CROSS KIDNAPPERS INCREASE DEMANDS, SITUATION TENSE REF: A. MANILA 630 ¶B. MANILA 247 Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A stalemate has ensued between the Philippine government and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) regarding the fate of three workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) kidnapped by the ASG on Jolo Island in the southern Philippines January 15. The situation has been exacerbated by the uncoordinated approach to the negotiations among Philippine government officials, with the Sulu governor, an influential senator, and administration officials all pursuing independent lines of communication with the ASG. In an attempt to secure release of a hostage, Philippine security forces have loosened the cordon around the kidnappers. In response, the ASG escalated their demands to the government this week, insisting that the Philippine armed forces and police withdraw completely from Jolo Island, which is not likely to occur. Proof of life for the Filipino, Swiss, and Italian hostages was confirmed on March 30, and it appears they are in one group. The Ambassador has stressed repeatedly to senior-most Philippine officials the importance of the hostages' safety and has called publicly for the release of the ICRC workers. The Ambassador also talked with the head of the ICRC in the Philippines to share information. U.S. Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines is providing routine intelligence-sharing support to the Philippine Armed Forces and is prepared to assist in medical treatment and transport should the hostages be released, but the Embassy is not participating in the negotiations, nor in operations or operational planning. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- KIDNAPPERS DEMAND FULL WITHDRAWAL OF POLICE AND MILITARY -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers entered their eleventh week as captives of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) on Jolo Island in the southern Philippines after being kidnapped January 15 (ref B). Although the Philippine military responded to an ASG demand and pulled back some troops to loosen the cordon around the hostages on Jolo Island, ASG commander Albader Parad, who orchestrated the kidnapping, now has insisted on a complete withdrawal of Philippine troops and police from Jolo Island. Sulu Governor Abdelsakur Tan, head of the province's Task Force ICRC charged with negotiating the workers' release, said such a condition was not possible, as it would risk anarchy in the province. Philippine Senator and Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon confirmed through telephone conversations with Parad March 30 that hostages Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni, and Mary Jean Lacaba were alive. -------------- HISTORY OF BRUTALITY -------------- ¶3. (C) The ASG, a Philippine terrorist group with historical ties to Al-Qaeda, has a history of kidnapping and brutality, including the 2001 kidnapping and beheading of U.S. citizen Guillermo Sobero. Founded in the 1990s by Afghan-trained Filipino Abdurajak Janjalani to fight for an independent Islamic state, the ASG is considered the most radical Filipino Muslim group. Janjalani was killed in 1998 and since that time, despite ties with Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, increased pressure on foreign financing and the ASG's leadership has led to its steady decline. Although blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist attacks, thanks to consistent pressure from military and police, the ASG has degenerated over the past year from a terrorist organization with clear ideology into a group that derives the bulk of its notoriety from extortion and high-profile kidnappings. Many suspect this kidnapping incident has played to the ASG advantage, giving them increased international attention and helping them garner support from abroad. -------------- SENIOR PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS FRUSTRATED -------------- MANILA 00000686 002 OF 003 ¶4. (C) Senior members of the Philippine government, including Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, have expressed their frustration with the behavior of Parad's group and the ICRC. Puno said March 30 that the government was "bending over backward" in pulling back troops that had surrounded Parad. Puno emphasized that the government had made "this very, very big, dramatic and important concession so the kidnappers will not feel threatened" and hoped that it would lead to the release of at least one of the hostages. Privately, Gonzales told the Ambassador that he was concerned that the Philippine government and ICRC were treating the kidnappers as if they deserved negotiations -- "confidence building measures" -- rather than as the terrorists the are. Gonzales noted to the Ambassador that the ICRC workers were kidnapped after they had declined a security escort from the Philippine military when they went to visit the jail on Jolo Island that had been the site of a recent ASG escape. Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo described the hostage situation to the Ambassador as a "mess" and lamented that Senator Gordon's involvement had complicated the ordeal. ¶5. (C) Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines General Alexander Yano told the Ambassador on March 30 that despite the partial withdrawal of Philippine troops and the loosening of the security cordon around the ASG, he did not believe the kidnappers were acting in good faith and said that their demand to remove all security forces from Jolo Island was unacceptable. Yano also said that the Philippine government had met over the weekend and, in an effort to unify its position with the ASG, had designated Interior Secretary Puno and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro as the two individuals who would handle the case from this point forward. The Ambassador stressed U.S. concern for the hostages' safety to Yano and said their security was a top priority for the USG. General Yano thanked the Ambassador for U.S. intelligence support the Philippine government has received, saying that it had been invaluable. -------------- RED CROSS CONCERNED OVER MILITARY ACTION -------------- ¶6. (C) The Philippine government has emphasized it will follow its established guidelines in negotiating the release of the Red Cross workers, including the government's policy of not giving in to terrorists' demands. On Jolo Island, commander of Western Mindanao Command LTG Nelson Allaga has temporarily assumed control of all Philippine military forces. The Armed Forces are conducting detailed planning for military options that could be exercised in the event Parad follows through on a threat to kill one of the hostages if Philippine forces did not withdraw, although with the military pullback, a pre-emptive strike against the ASG group holding the hostages appears unlikely. ¶7. (C) Nevertheless, the ICRC head in Manila, Jean-Daniel Tauxe, voiced his concerns over possible Philippine military action endangering the hostages when he met with the Ambassador on March 20 (ref A). At the same time, Tauxe broached the idea of a U.S. rescue operation. The Ambassador acknowledged how difficult the situation was for the ICRC and the families of the hostages, but pointed out that the Philippine Constitution prohibits the United States from participating in military operations. On March 30, Tauxe told Embassy officials that the ICRC had arranged for Afghan fighters to telephone the ASG on Jolo Island to stress that attacking the ICRC violated their code. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Since the ICRC workers were abducted January 15, the Embassy has been in close contact with the Philippine government and local Red Cross officials, emphasizing that it is imperative the ICRC hostages be released unharmed. Both publicly and privately, the Ambassador is stressing the point with media and top interlocutors. While it understandable that, as a humanitarian organization, the ICRC would press the Philippine military to withdraw in accordance with the ASG kidnappers' demands, the ICRC action also limits the government's options and overlooks the ASG's brutal past and MANILA 00000686 003 OF 003 clear terrorist links. The Mission will continue to emphasize the importance of a more cohesive negotiation effort on the part of the Philippine authorities to secure the safe release of the hostages and provide intelligence and humanitarian support where possible. KENNEY