Zamboanga City, Philippines  - Muslim rebels of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group were behind the kidnapping of three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on a southern Philippine island, the military said Friday.

First Lieutenant Esteffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman, said that based on initial field reports, it was the group of Abu Sayyaf commander Alpader Parad that seized the ICRC staff on Thursday on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila.

The victims, Swiss Andreas Notter, 38, Italian Eugenio Vagni, 62, and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba, 44, had just visited the provincial jail on Jolo when armed men abducted them.

Governor Abdusakur Tan said that based on initial information he received, the victims were brought to the mountain town of Talipao, a known Abu Sayyaf lair.

Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga said investigators are looking for a former jail warden of the provincial jail who was allegedly seen by witnesses during the abduction.

"He was present, looking around when the kidnapping happened," Allaga said. He did not divulge the identity of the man.

ICRC spokesman Roland Bigler said the three victims were visiting the provincial jail, carrying out a water and sanitation project to improve the conditions of detainees.

Bigler said that despite the abductions, the ICRC will continue its various humanitarian work in the strife-torn southern region of Mindanao.

The Abu Sayyaf has been responsible for deadly terrorist attacks in the country.

It is also notorious for high-profile kidnapping-for-ransom cases, including the abduction of 21 European tourists and Asian workers from a Malaysian resort island in 2000. The hostages were ransomed off for millions of dollars before they were freed months later. (dpa)