Gunmen abducted the son of a bank employee in the southern Philippines Tuesday, but government forces rescued the 7-year-old and killed one of two kidnappers hours later, officials said. It was the latest in a wave of kidnappings for ransom, mostly by al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants, that has sparked fear and concerns that the tactic may be an effort to revive the small but violent group, which is on a US terrorism blacklist. Two gunmen snatched Anderson Fortico at noon while he was on his way to school in Isabela city on Basilan Island. Fortico's sister alerted their father and authorities, provincial Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakkalahul said. Marines and police caught up with the kidnappers in nearby Lamitan city and rescued the child, who was not injured in a brief shootout that left one abductor dead, provincial police chief Salik Macapantar said. The second kidnapper escaped after using the boy as a shield. A manhunt was under way, Macapantar said. “This is a warning. We will not hesitate to kill to stop these kidnappings,” Macapantar told The Associated Press by telephone. It was not immediately clear if the kidnappers belonged to any rebel group in Basilan, a predominantly Moro province, where suspected Abu Sayyaf militants are separately holding at least six hostages, including a Sri Lankan peace worker and three Filipino teachers. On nearby Jolo Island, three International Committee of the Red Cross workers from Switzerland, Italy and the Philippines remain in Abu Sayyaf custody after they were abducted Jan. 15. The militants are also holding a Chinese Filipino electronics store owner, who was kidnapped last December.
