Jolo kidnappers given hostage deadline

Andronico Montulo weeps as he holds the box containing the head of his younger brother Lemuel Montulo

MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine authorities have given an armed gang with ties to the Abu Sayyaf Muslim guerilla group five days to release four Christian hostages or face an all out military assault.

Manila has sent hundreds of troops to the southern island of Jolo to hunt down the gang after they beheaded two male captives taken hostage, along with six others, on Tuesday.

Six were members of the Jehovah's Witnesses who were selling cosmetics door to door on Tuesday. They were accompanied by two Muslim guides who were released by the kidnappers shortly after their capture.

Authorities initially blamed the Abu Sayyaf for the kidnapping but on Thursday backtracked, saying instead the gang was a group of bandits led by the nephew of a local Abu Sayyaf leader.

Local media reported the five-day respite was given by the military to allow negotiators time to try and secure the hostages' release.

"We are giving the civilian leaders five days to initiate the negotiations and convince the group to give up," military chief of staff General Roy Cimatu told reporters.

"I would say the main effort for the moment is for the civilian group to resolve the case in a peaceful manner five days from today [Friday]."

'Against Islam'

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Maria Ressa has more on the kidnapping of six Jehovah's Witnesses -- two of whom were beheaded by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines. (August 22) Play video   TIMELINE Hostage crises in the Philippines    SPECIAL Abu Sayyaf: Terror in the Philippines     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

The gunmen are believed to be hiding in Patikul town in the province of Sulu, the ABS-CBN broadcast network reported.

Sulu provincial governor Yusop Jikiri told the network that "ransom was the last thing they [officials] would consider" during negotiations, adding that the military was preparing its forces in strategic areas.

Jikiri, a former Muslim separatist guerrilla leader, also condemned the beheadings as being "against Islam."

The heads of the two male hostages were found Thursday at the main market in Jolo. They were accompanied by notes denouncing them as infidels and calling for a Jihad or Islamic holy war.

"This is what happens to those who don't believe in Allah," read one of the messages.

'Crusade'

"They are showing their crusade not to allow Christians to enter their community," said Brigadier Gen. Romeo Tolentino, head of the Philippine army, on Thursday.

Earlier, the Philippine military issued a statement saying the Abu Sayyaf was behind the incident but later that day retracted the remarks.

"This kidnapping ... was a chance incident, it was not planned," southern Philippines military chief Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina said on DZSB radio.

"We want to correct the impression that there is trouble again in Sulu and that the Abu Sayyaf were responsible."

Jolo, known as an Abu Sayyaf stronghold but also home to other Muslim guerrilla groups, is about 560 miles (900 kilometers) south of the capital, Manila.

The Abu Sayyaf, notorious as a kidnapping gang, first came to international attention in April 2000 when 21 people -- 10 tourists and 11 resort workers -- were nabbed from a Malaysian diving resort by gunmen and taken to Jolo. All but one were eventually released after ransom was paid.

The Abu Sayyaf has not staged any such incidents since the United States began in February a six-month joint military campaign with the Philippines to eradicate the group.

Decimated

The Abu Sayyaf has carried out a series of high-profile kidnappings for ransom in the southern Philippines

The exercise ended last month with claims by the Philippine government that the Abu Sayyaf had been decimated.

The majority of U.S. Special Forces deployed to the area left about three weeks ago, although several hundred troops remain on the nearby island of Basilan carrying out infrastructure projects and medical assistance work.

In June this year, Philippine troops trained by U.S. advisors stormed an Abu Sayyaf jungle camp in an effort to rescue two Americans and a Filipino nurse being held hostage by the group.

The nurse and one of the Americans was killed in the rescue attempt, although the other hostage, U.S. missionary Gracia Burnham escaped with only minor injuries.

Since then the Philippine government, led by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has vowed an all-out effort to crush the Abu Sayyaf.