Militants free Irish priest Sinnott in southern Philippines

Irish missionary Michael Sinnott has finally been freed on Thursday morning a month after he was snatched from his house in southern Philippine city of Pagadian, according to officials from the military, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Philippine Armed Forces' Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino said Sinnott was turned over by members of an MILF task force around 4:25 a.m to government chief peace negotiator Rafael Seguis at the Sangali fish port in Zamboanga City.
Dolorfino could not say the circumstances how Sinnott was secured by the MILF but said the rebels had to travel for nine hours at sea just to turn over Sinnott to Seguis, who was accompanied by Brig. Gen Reynaldo Seallana, chief of the government's coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities.
Dolorfino said no ransom was paid for the release of the 79-year-old Sinnott. In a video released a couple of weeks ago, Sinnott said his kidnappers, who were led by a certain Abu Jandam, are seeking a 2-million-U.S.-dollar ransom for his release.
"I don't think there was a ransom paid," said Dolorfino. Seguis' group later turn over Sinnott to Westmincom officials. Sinnot underwent medical check-up at the Westmincom headquarters, also in Zamboanga City, before he was flown to Manila to see President Arroyo.
"He was turned over by members of the MILF task force that they organized to rescue Fr. Sinnott...This is a positive development because fulfilled their responsibility under the ceasefire agreement under the joint communique of 2002, to isolate and interdict criminal elements," he said.
Meanwhile, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said: "Sinnot has just been freed. We turned him over to the government officials around 4:30 a.m at Sangali village in southern Zamboanga City."
"They (captors) were pressured. We talked to the captors' families. Not a single centavo was paid to them. We even spent a lot of money in our rescue efforts," Iqbal said.
Asked about the real group behind the kidnapping, Iqbal said: "I cannot give you exact details because its part of the deal we make with them."
However, he disclosed later in the interview that the priest captors were plain syndicate group operating in the region.
"It only shows that Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno is wrong with his allegation," Iqbal said.
Iqbal said Al Ashree, one of their field commanders with over 3,000 followers accused by Puno one of the commanders of the MILF responsible for the abduction of Sinnott, was the one instrumental for the priest released.
When asked how the MILF got Sinnott, Iqbal said: "We have forces on the ground plus our pressure and our moral authority so the kidnappers could not do anything but to turn him over to the MILF task force," he said.
Iqbal said there was no fighting that took place between the MILF rebels and the kidnappers. "There was none. It not a rescue (operation) in the strict sense. There was no fighting. The kidnappers turned him over to the MILF voluntarily because we pressured them, including their families, not physically, not in a sense of physical pressure. Moral pressure led them to turn him over to us," said Iqbal.
He noted the kidnappers were not members of the MILF, as alleged by the military and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno who had tagged Aloy Al Asree, head of the MILF's 113rd Base, as responsible for the kidnapping.
However, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto challenged the MILF should explain how they secured the freedom of Sinnott, adding that kidnappers should be held accountable for the kidnapping of the priest.
"Who are the kidnappers, that is the question. Who are the kidnappers so that they can be given the corresponding punishment under the law. Who are the people they talked to and where did they get him?" said Teodoro.
He said that information that reached indicated that the kidnappers are rogue members of the MILF.
"All those involved in the kidnapping should not be let unpunished," he told reporters. "We are enforcing laws. Who now are the kidnappers? Shall we forged that there was kidnapping that occurred if there is a special case (role of MILF in the release)," he said.
If the suspects are not dealt with accordingly, the defense chief warned that more kidnappings may transpire.
Contrary to Teodoro, Philippine Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado said the reported involvement of MILF rebels in the kidnapping of Fr. Sinnott were unconfirmed reports that are subject to validation.
"Its hard to say something without any basis. But what is important now is that Fr. Sinnott had been release," said Ibrado.
Ibrado clarified that they have not directly linked Aloy Al Asree, commander of the MILF's 113rd Base Command, as behind the kidnapping. It was Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno who actually linked Al Asree.
"Actually, no one is saying that we are suspecting (Al Asree)...As I have said before, we received reports and that report had to be confirmed, so its unconfirmed report," he said.
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