Police and military officials have agreed to put on hold the aggressive pursuit operations against the abductors of Father Michael Sinnott in order not to endanger the life of the 78-year-old Irish missionary.

Chief Superintendent Angelo Sunglao, director of the Zamboanga Peninsula regional police, said security officials handling the kidnapping crisis have agreed to concentrate their efforts to restrict the movement of the abductors of Sinnott to small areas.

“Our main concern is to ensure the safety of the victim so we will focus on containing them (kidnapmen) while giving priority to the peaceful negotiations that will be conducted by the local crisis management committee,” Sunglao said.

Sunglao said they are very careful in handling the situation since they received reports that Sinnott had just undergone heart bypass operation and is supposed to be still under medication.

Police and military operatives have earlier started deploying troops in all possible escape routes of the abductors of Sinnott in order to restrict their movement in a small area that could facilitate his immediate rescue.

Sunglao said the containment operations are focused at the vicinity of the areas where Sinnott and his abductors were last sighted, particularly at the tri-boundaries of the towns of Nunungan and Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte and Ticong of Lanao del Sur which was revealed by the military on Tuesday.