The United States has advised its citizens against travelling to Zamboanga province in the southern Philippines due to the "credible threat" of a terrorist kidnapping plot against foreigners.
The US embassy in Manila said US personnel in the Zamboanga area who have been helping Philippine forces in the fight against terrorism have been ordered to relocate to safer areas.
"The US Embassy wishes to alert US citizens that a credible threat of a terrorist kidnapping-for-ransom plot against foreigners has been identified in the Zamboanga area on the island of Mindanao," the US Department of State said in a statement dated May 29.
The Abu Sayyaf militant group, which has links with the Al-Qaeda terrorist network and the Southeast Asia-based Jemaah Islamiyah militant group, has been involved in many cases of kidnap for ransom and killings of foreigners in Mindanao.
Two European birdwatchers, a Dutch and a Swiss, and a Jordanian journalist have been abducted and are still being held by the militants in the conflict areas in the South.
The US deployed military personnel to the Zamboanga area eleven years ago. The US and the Philippines have established a joint special operations task force to secure peace and stability in the Mindanao region.