August 23, 2002, AP Worldstream, Philippine military blames, then denies Abu Sayyaf responsible for kidnapping six Jehovah's Witnesses, by Paul Alexander,

August 23, 2002, AP Worldstream, Philippine military blames, then denies Abu Sayyaf responsible for kidnapping six Jehovah's Witnesses, by Paul Alexander, 

Dateline: MANILA, Philippines At the height of the last Abu Sayyaf kidnapping spree, it seemed that just about every crime in the southern Philippines was being blamed on the al-Qaida-linked group. So no one was surprised when police and the military said the guerrillas were responsible for snatching six Jehovah's Witnesses who ventured into one of their stronghold areas.

But after the heads of two captives were found Thursday, the military backtracked and blamed unspecified bandits, raising questions whether the government -- which said just weeks ago that the Abu Sayyaf was decimated and on the run -- was trying to limit damage in a country already suffering from a reputation as Asia's kidnap capital.

The fallout from Tuesday's abductions on Jolo island mounted quickly. The stock market, already worried about a burgeoning budget deficit, fell the following two days, and the peso closed at a nine-month low against the dollar Thursday.

Things had been looking up. A yearlong Abu Sayyaf kidnapping spree came to a bloody but conclusive end June 7, and one of the group's leaders was believed to have been killed in a clash at sea. There had been no further Abu Sayyaf abductions since U.S. troops arrived in February for a six-month counterterrorism training exercise that ended three weeks ago.

Although critics warned that it could regroup, officials boasted that the Abu Sayyaf was basically finished. The government's focus was shifting to communist rebels and other law-and-order problems.

Since making the extermination of kidnap-for-ransom gangs one of the cornerstones of her state-of-the-nation address last month, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been extremely visible, flying around the sprawling archipelago to congratulate local police on major busts.

Known for her repeated vows to "crush" the Abu Sayyaf, Arroyo remained silent Thursday. Her spokesman gave a "no comment" when asked whether the latest kidnappings were an embarrassment to the government.

In Washington, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Philip T. Reeker said reports suggested Abu Sayyaf was involved in the kidnappings.

"The United States strongly condemns this latest terrorist atrocity by this murderous Abu Sayyaf group," Reeker said. "The remaining hostages should be released immediately, safely and unconditionally. And we fully support the efforts of the government of the Philippines to stop terrorism."

There appeared to be no doubt from the beginning that the Abu Sayyaf was responsible, with the abduction bearing all of its hallmarks, including the beheadings. One of two Muslim guides who were left behind at the start of the kidnapping identified one gunman as the nephew of a local Abu Sayyaf leader.

Although the Abu Sayyaf has largely turned to banditry, it has its roots deep in Muslim extremism and has made public demands on Islamic issues while privately pursuing large ransoms.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, army commander on Jolo, said the heads of the two male hostages were found in bags with notes denouncing them as "infidels."

The bags were left at food stands about 100 yards apart at the main market in the town of Jolo. The attached notes called for "jihad" or Islamic holy war, included a passage from the Quran and were written in Arabic and the local Tausug dialect, Tolentino said.

"They did this because they want to punish the nonbelievers of Allah, " he said.

The area around Patikul town is one of the Abu Sayyaf's strongholds. The victims were poor, so ransom is unlikely, and their abductors left behind their vehicle and the cosmetics, herbal teas and other goods that the Christian sect's members were selling.

The Abu Sayyaf has often kidnapped for ransom, but more frequently has abducted poor Filipinos, mostly Christians, to serve for weeks or months as slave labor. Kidnapped women -- all four of the remaining captives are female -- are sometimes forced to marry guerrillas.

Officials believed the group was responsible this time from the start. The military began shelling nearby suspected Abu Sayyaf hide-outs within hours.

After the heads were found Thursday morning, the military issued a statement saying the Abu Sayyaf was responsible.

But military Southern Commander Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina backtracked after a meeting of the local crisis management committee. He blamed two hitchhikers, including the Abu Sayyaf leader's nephew, who Carolina said was the head of a 14-man criminal gang involved in drugs.

"This kidnapping ... was a chance incident, it was not planned," Carolina told DZBB radio. "We want to correct the impression that there is trouble again in Sulu (province) and that the Abu Sayyaf were responsible."