Military deploys team to locate missing Jordanian journalist, companions

Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani. AP

MANILA, Philippines – The military is locating Jordanian TV journalist Baker Atyani and two Filipino crew who have been listed as missing in Sulu since last week.

Colonel Jose Johriel Cenabre, deputy commander for Marines operation of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao, clarified that the deployment is meant only to locate Atyani but not rescue him.

“…[W]e are not deploying [our men to run] after them, [because] we don’t want to preempt something that we don’t like to happen,” he told reporters in a phone interview.

He reiterated that although the missing TV news team was confirmed to be in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf, it does not necessarily mean they were kidnapped.

“They are with the Abu Sayyaf yes, but as (to) they were kidnapped or doing interview until now we are not really sure,” he said.

He said officially the news team is declared missing because “we don’t know where they are…”

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan heads the crisis committee to take charge of the incident.