The Indonesian government has decided it will not launch a military operation into areas of the Philippines where terror group Abu Sayyaf has held Indonesian and Malaysian sailors hostage for months.

The government made the decision despite the green light recently given to it by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has given permission for members of the Indonesian Military to pursue pirates and kidnappers in Philippine waters, especially in the Sulu region, known to be a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group.

The frequent kidnapping of sailors by the Abu Sayyaf group in the Sulu waters pushed Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to launch coordinated patrols to protect their respective border areas as agreed to in a maritime pact signed by the three neighboring countries in Bali in August.

The pact allows each country to enter one another’s maritime territ...