Military in a quandary over Sinnott's ‘locations’

Abducted Irish priest Fr. Michael Sinnott was reported to be in three different provinces in southern Philippines, making it extra difficult for the military to conduct search and rescue operations. “On the case of Father Sinnott, we have a lot of information. We are trying to make sense of it through our intelligence units," said Col. Benito de Leon, commander of the Army’s 104th Brigade in charge of locating the 79-yea-old missionary.

Sinnott, abducted last October 11 in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur, was reportedly seen with his kidnappers in the boundary of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte provinces. Military reports said the kidnappers boarded a speedboat owned by one Guingona Samal, a suspected pirate, and headed toward the Lanao provinces. But De Leon said they have also received reports that Sinnott and his abductors did not leave Zamboanga del Sur while other reports placed the victim in Basilan province, a bailiwick of the Abu Sayyaf, a group of Islamic fundamentalists notorious for its kidnapping activities. “They are citing the Lanao provinces, but you can see that Lanao provinces are quite big. There are also reports that they are still in Zamboanga, other reports say they are in Basilan," said De Leon, whose unit operates in Lanao del Norte and Marawi City areas. “Since the start, there are mixed of information. But I am not at liberty to discuss what the conclusion of the high command is," he added. The police had already released computer-generated sketches of Sinnott's abductors. The Crisis Management Committee (CMC) meanwhile said at least three “containment areas" have been put up by government forces to rescue Sinnott. CMC spokesman Allan June Molde said these are in Zamboanga del Sur, Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte. “We are considering all possibilities. They have put up these containment as part of the normal process," said Molde. The Missionary Society of Columban, of which Sinnott is a member, had already appealed to the Philippine government to work for the immediate and safe release of the priest. The group said it would prefer that Sinnott be released through negotiations. - GMANews.TV