US, Britain warn citizens to stay off Sulu archipelago

The United States (US) and Britain have warned their citizens to stay away from the Sulu archipelago where suspected Muslim extremists are behind a wave of kidnappings, including those of 18 Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crewmen. The US State Department warned Americans in an advisory Thursday to defer non-essential travel to the Sulu archipelago “due to the high threat of kidnapping of international travelers, increased threat of maritime kidnappings against small boats… and violence linked to insurgency and terrorism there.” The British government on Wednesday issued a similar travel warning, citing, “a high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping.” The Sulu archipelago covers the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. Abu Sayyaf militants have been suspected of seizing the Indonesian and Malaysian crewmen at gunpoint in separate attacks on three tugboats in recent weeks, sparking security concerns in the region. Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines plan to convene a meeting of [...]