March 4, 2001, The Philippine Star, US hostage Schilling in suicide try, Abu Sayyaf leader says, by Roel Pareno,

March 4, 2001, The Philippine Star, US hostage Schilling in suicide try, Abu Sayyaf leader says, by Roel Pareno,

ZAMBOANGA CITY --- Jeffrey Schilling, a 25-year-old American held hostage by Abu Sayyaf rebels in Sulu since August, tried to commit suicide by choking himself with an iron chain, a leader of the Muslim extremist group said yesterday.

However, military officials were suspicious of the claim, saying it could be an attempt to slow down an Army offensive against the rebels.

Abu Sabaya, spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf, told a local radio station that Schilling, from Oakland, California, tried to kill himself Friday night after days of pursuit by the military.

"He complained that he is tired of walking and the sufferings in captivity," Sabaya said. "He tried to commit suicide by using the chain we used to strap him."

The rebel leader said the American has remained unconscious.

"I don't know if he is still alive, but my guards told me he is in a 50-50 condition," Sabaya said.

The military said fighting has escalated in the hills of Sulu in recent weeks and that troops have found bodies of at least 22 rebels in mass graves. Nine wounded rebels were caught trying to seek treatment in Jolo.

Lt. Col. Danilo Servando, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Command, said they believe that members of the Abu Sayyaf have started employing psychological war tactics out of desperation.

"The rebels have resorted to using their hostages to cushion the military's pressure," Servando said.

Schilling and Filipino Roland Ullah are the last two of more than 40 people kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf since last April. About 20 of them, including Western tourists kidnapped from a diving resort in Malaysia, were freed after payments of ransom amounting to millions of dollars.

The others were rescued or escaped after the military launched an all-out offensive against the rebels.