By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD
A Dutch national held captive by the Abu Sayyaf Group for more than seven years was killed after he was shot by his captors while attempting to escape in Patikul, Sulu yesterday.
Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command, identified the fatality as Ewold Horn.
Reports received by the military said Horn was gunned down by the group of Abu Sayyaf top leader Radullan Sahiron as government troops from the Army 32nd Infantry Battalion engaged them in a firefight in Sitio Bud Sub-Sub, Barangay Pansul as part of the focused military operation to rid the area of the enemy.
Besana said troops from the 32nd IB established blockade and encountered 30 of Sahiron’s men at about 7:41 a.m.
He said six Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed while 12 others were wounded in the firefight that lasted for about 90 minutes. On the other hand, two government soldiers were wounded while six other suffered shrapnel wounds.
Besana said reports also indicated that Sahiron’s wife who went after Horn when he attempted to escape also perished when she was accidentally shot by her husband’s men. He said the remains of Horn and Mingayan were recovered by troops.
Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo Jr., Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said Horn, together with Swiss Leoncio Vinciguerra, were kidnapped in the waters off Barangay Parangan, Panglima Sugala, on Feb. 1, 2012.
Horn and Vinciguerra were held captive by Sahiron’s group in the hinterlands of Sulu. Fortunately, Vinciguerra managed to escape and was later retrieved by soldiers in Sulu on Dec. 26, 2016.
