RP military admits hostage rescue bid could last months
RP military admits hostage rescue bid could last months
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP): Philippine troops on Sunday swept through remote jungle areas in southern Jolo island in search of Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremists holding three Malaysians, an American and one Filipino hostage.
But 23 days into a much-hyped military crackdown, ordered by President Joseph Estrada, Abu Sayyaf leaders had so far evaded capture by pursuing troops, military officials admitted.
They said the Abu Sayyaf enjoyed mass support and knew Jolo's rugged terrain, allowing them to outrun an estimated 5,000 police and troops.
Military officials originally told Estrada they could wrap up the operation within a week, but later admitted that they had made tactical errors.
"We can make this all over before the end of December," armed forces chief, General Angelo Reyes told reporters Sunday, during a visit to the military's southern headquarters here.
Southern command chief, Lt. Gen. Diomedo Villanueva said troops were scouring the Jolo towns of Talipao, Maimbung and Patikul on Sunday, two days after the government bombed rebel positions to flush out Abu Sayyaf stragglers.
On Saturday, the military said there had been sightings of American hostage Jeffrey Schilling and Malaysians Kan Wei Chong, Joseph Ongkinoh and Mohamed Noor Sulaiman and their captors but there was no news of a fifth victim, Filipino Roland Ullah.
The military also said it had widened its search to include islands near Jolo after one Abu Sayyaf member was arrested last week in the Tawi-Tawi island group, in the southernmost tip of the Philippines and about 30 minutes by boat from Malaysia.
Villanueva said the Abu Sayyaf threat "has been contained", claiming that the group had suffered 129 deaths since the blitz began on Sept. 16.
He said the recovery of weapons and equipment left behind by the rebels was also "a good sign." "They are low on food, (they have) no medicine and they have been on the run," Villanueva said. "They have nowhere to go except to the recesses of the jungle."
Some "prominent leaders" of the Abu Sayyaf had sent surrender feelers out through an unidentified local official in Jolo, Villanueva said.
"We expect them to come out in due time and we are willing to receive them as they turn themselves in," he said. "We are now moving and are able to reposition our forces fast and rapidly as the situation dictates. The enemy are low on ammunition, and despite their show of braggadocio, their fighting ability can not match that of our troops."
Estrada, angered by the kidnapping spree which started in April, last month ordered the assault to rescue some 19 hostages and destroy the rebel group.
Two French captives, taking advantage of an air raid which surprised the Abu Sayyaf, were able to escape three days into the assault while 12 Filipino Christian preachers were rescued last week after a fierce gunbattle.
Only five of the hostages remain. The military says three of them -- the Malaysians -- are in the custody of Abu Sayyaf leader Galib Andang, alias Commander Robot, and his ally Mujib Susukan.
They were last week believed to be trapped in a marshy area in Talipao town, but there had also been reports that they retreated deep into the jungle and were hiding in caves.
A senior military spokesman on Saturday said American hostage Schilling had also been sighted, but would not give specific details of his whereabouts.
Governor Abdusakur Tan of Sulu province which includes Jolo, said the situation in the provincial capital was "better than normal," adding that "there is a good probability all remaining rebels will surrender because of the military pressure."
The hostage crisis began in April, when the Abu Sayyaf snatched 21 Asian and European hostages from the Malaysian dive resort of Sipadan. All but one of the Sipadan group -- Filipino dive instructor Ullah -- were freed after huge ransom payments.
The rebels, however, later seized more hostages, including the French journalists who escaped and the 12 preachers. Last month, the group again raided a Malaysian resort and abducted three Malaysian resort workers.