0ZAMBOANGA CITY: Suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted a public school teacher on her way to work in Patikul town, Sulu, on Tuesday. No individual has claimed res­ponsibility for the abduction but police said the Abu Sayyaf Group may be behind it. There was no immediate statement from the Department of Education in the autonomous region but the military said operations against the terrorist group are continuing in Sulu. Last month, Abu Sayyaf bandits also grabbed three persons, including a pregnant woman, from a village in Patikul town. President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered troops last week to intensify their anti-terrorism campaign, including operations against the Abu Sayyaf, which is still holding more than a dozen mostly Asian hostages in the restive Muslim region.

Source: Manila Times August 16, 2016 15:00 UTC