MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday (Oct 19) said he would ask the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia to “blast” pirates out of regional waters and would refocus security efforts to solve the problem.
The Abu Sayyaf, a kidnap-for-ransom network that has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group, has been kidnapping dozens of sailors on fishing vessels and cargo barges, prompting warnings the region could become the “next Somalia”.
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