Manila, Oct 17 (IANS): The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Friday said they will not negotiate with the Abu Sayyaf rebels who have threatened to behead one of the two German hostages being held for ransom.

Viktor Stefan Okonek, 71, and Herite Dieter, 55, were captured by the Abu Sayyaf in Palawan last April while en route to Sabah, The Manila Times reported.

An AFP official made the announcement as Abu Sayyaf is calling for the withdrawal of government forces in Sulu as one of the conditions not to behead one of the German captives.

The official said that it is not government policy to negotiate with terrorists.

The Abu Sayyaf rebels have demanded a $5.6 million ransom in exchange for Okonek's release.

A video released Wednesday showed Okonek being held in a hole in the ground, which he had been told would be his grave if the ransom was not paid.

The AFP official said they could not give exact details on the whereabouts of the captive German nationals as of this time.

The official added that they have no information yet on whether the rebel group has decided to behead one of their captives as the deadline has lapsed.

But, he stressed that beheading innocent civilians is frowned upon by Islam.

The Abu Sayyaf group has pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation.