Abduction of Indonesian sailors a diversion —AFP

The abduction of ten Indonesian sailors on board a tugboat off Tawi-tawi over the weekend was a tactic to divert the military's focus on its ongoing operations against lawless armed groups in Mindanao, a military official said on Wednesday.

AFP spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla on Wednesday suggested that their successful operations in Basilan and Jolo may have pushed the extremis groups to create a diversion.

"We see that the mounting pressure on the targeted groups in these areas may have compelled some of their sympathetic allies to initiate diversionary tactics to ease the pressure on their besieged forces," Padilla said.

The Abu Sayyaf is suspected to be behind the abduction of the crew, which was manning a privately owned Taiwanese tugboat on the way to Manila from Jakarta.

The abductors are reportedly asking for ransom.

Padilla said that while information that the AFP has received pointed to the Abu Sayyaf's involvement, the military still couldn't confirm the group's role in the incident.

"To date, information on the real identity of the individuals and the [kidnap-for-ransom] group behind last weekend's abduction of the whole crew of a Commercial tugboat passing the ZAMBASULTA (Zamboanga-Sulu-Tawi-tawi) area could not yet be established with certainty," he said.

Padilla reiterated that the AFP will strictly comply with the government's no-ransom policy, and said that they will not be negotiating with the kidnappers.

He added that military operations will continue despite the latest attack.

"According to the [AFP chief of staff General Hernando Irriberi], military operations will persists and there will be no let up in focused military operations in these areas," Padilla said. —Jessica Bartolome/NB, GMA News