– The coastguard of the Philippines on February 20 reported that pirates in southern Philippine waters killed one crewman of a Vietnamese vessel and abducted seven on the evening of February 19, according to foreign media.The sailors were aboard ship MV Giang Hai with 25 crewmembers, which was attacked near Baguan Island in Tawi-Tawi, an area close to the stronghold of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group.According to Reuters, other 17 Vietnamese sailors on board were rescued by the Philippine coastguard and marine soldiers.An investigation was underway and the coastguard had launched a pursuit in coordination with the military and police, said Philippine coastguard spokesman Armand Balilo.Abu Sayyaf group, which has a close link with the Islamic State, is believed to be the culprit of the attack. Well armed and equipped with fast boats and high-technavigation devices, the group has conducted frequent piracy attacks and kidnapping for ransoms.-VNA </s> MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine coast guard says gunmen attacked a Vietnamese ship off the Philippines' southern tip, killing a Vietnamese crewman and abducting six others.

Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said Monday the Vietnamese coast guard reported that the MV Giang Hai, with 17 crewmen, was attacked by pirates Sunday night about 20 miles (31 kilometers) north of Pearl Bank in southernmost Tawi-Tawi province.

Rescuers from the coast guard and marines found the ship had drifted near the province's Baguan Island, with 10 Vietnamese crewmen alive and one dead. The cargo vessel's owner said the ship's captain was among those abducted.

Balilo said pursuit operations are underway, but the abducted crewmen's location and the attackers' identity remain unknown.

Abu Sayyaf militants are suspected of being behind previous sea assaults in the area. </s> One crewman of a Vietnamese ship was killed and seven others were abducted by unidentified gunmen in southern Philippines in Mindanao on Sunday (19 February), the Filipino Coast Guard said.

The vessel had a total of 25 crewmen of whom the Coast Guard and marine soldiers managed to rescue 17. Authorities are investigating the incident and have not commented on speculation about Abu Sayyaf's involvement in the abduction.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said on Monday (20 February) that the attack on MV Giang Hai took place at 7.10pm local time (11.10am GMT) off Sulu's Pearl Bank. He added that they received the information from the Vietnamese Coast Guard, following which they sent speed boats to the location and recovered the ship from the remote Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi province which is close to the Abu Sayyaf stronghold.

"The team [coast guards and marine soldiers] conducted a joint maritime patrol in the vicinity of waters off Baguan Island and subsequently rescued 17 Vietnamese on board, with one dead. Seven other crew were abducted by the unidentified armed men and taken to an undetermined location," Balilo said.

The Coast Guard spokesman added that police and the military were in pursuit of the abductors and an investigation was also ongoing, Rappler reported.

Islamic State (Isis)-linked militant group Abu Sayyaf is very active in the waters around Sulu province and Mindanao. They are known for kidnappings for ransom and are said to already have more than two dozen people of different nationalities in their custody.

Recently, the group threatened to behead a German hostage, Jurgen Kantner, whom they had abducted off Sulu in November 2016. His wife, Sabine Merz, was killed by the militants for opposing the kidnapping. Earlier in 2016, the Islamist group beheaded two Canadian nationals when the deadline for payment of ransom expired. They have set 26 February as the deadline for payment of ransom for Kantner's release. </s> MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Gunmen attacked a Vietnamese cargo ship off the Philippines' southern tip, killing a Vietnamese crewman and abducting six others including the vessel's captain, the Philippine coast guard and the ship's owner said Monday.



Coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said the Vietnamese coast guard reported that the MV Giang Hai, with 17 crewmen on board, was attacked by pirates Sunday night about 20 miles (31 kilometers) north of Pearl Bank in Tawi-Tawi, the Philippines' southernmost province.



Personnel of the Philippine coast guard, police and marines found the ship had drifted near the province's Baguan Island. Upon boarding the vessel, they found 10 Vietnamese sailors alive and one dead.



Pham Van Hien, head of the safety department of Pham Hai shipping company, the owner of the cargo ship based in Vietnam's northern port city of Hai Phong, said the captain was among those abducted. The attack occurred while the vessel was transporting 4,500 tons of cement from Indonesia to the Philippines, he said.



The gunmen destroyed some of the ship's equipment, but the 10 remaining crew members managed to sail the ship, Hien said.



He said the company had informed the IMB Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia to seek its help in securing the return of the kidnapped crew members.



Balilo said pursuit operations are underway, but the location of the abducted crewmen and the identity of the attackers remain unknown.



Abu Sayyaf militants and allied gunmen are suspected of being behind previous sea assaults in the area, including an attack last November on another Vietnamese cargo ship whose captain and five crewmen were also kidnapped. They are believed to be held by the militants in the southern province of Sulu, where the kidnappers are holding at least 20 foreign and local hostages in different jungle locations.



An Abu Sayyaf commander known as Albhasy Misaya has been suspected of leading the kidnapping of the Vietnamese crewmen last year, but the military has not monitored any sign so far indicating the Vietnamese abducted late Sunday were also targeted by the Sulu-based militants.



Ransom kidnappings of Malaysian, Indonesian and Vietnamese crewmen have continued despite heightened coastal and border security.



___



Associated Press writer Tran Van Minh in Hanoi, Vietnam, contributed to this report.
Six Vietnamese sailors are kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf off the coast of the Philippines.