RP official says end near for Abu Sayyaf rebels
RP official says end near for Abu Sayyaf rebels
Reuters, Manila
The Philippines said on Thursday the end was near for the Abu
Sayyaf Moro rebel group linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda
network but added it faced a tough job flushing out the
insurgents.
"We have killed about 190 Abu Sayyaf members and captured
quite a lot of them and many surrendered also because of the
intense pressure of the military. So we are now seeing the end
game, the end is near so far as the Abu Sayyaf is concerned,"
Philippine National Security Adviser Rolio Golez told a business
forum, Golez said.
He said the group started in May, 2001 with a little over
1,000 in the regions of Basilan and Sulu and is now down to 180
members due to a very intense military campaign.
But Golez said it was still a tough job for Filipino troops as
the rebels were now believed to be hiding in a rugged terrain
area on Basilan island.
The Abu Sayyaf, which operates in the south of the country, is
included in Washington's list of foreign terrorists
organisations, and is also the target of joint military exercise
between the United States and the Philippines
The group claims to be fighting for an independent state in
the south, but in reality pursues kidnap for ransom.
Since May, Abu Sayyaf has been holding an American couple
hostage for nine months on Basilan island since their abduction
from an upscale beach resort in central Philippines.
Military officials said government troops clashed with the
combined forces of the Abu Sayyaf bandits and guerrillas of a
separate Moro group in Basilan earlier on Thursday, wounding
eight rebels. There were no reports of casualties on the
government side.
Golez also said there were some groups trying to obstruct the
government's fight against terrorism, namely the New People's
Army (NPA) -- the militant arm of the Communist Party of the
Philippines (CPP) which threatened to hurt American soldiers
should they wander into their territory.
Communist rebels raided at dawn on Thursday a remote police
station in western Samar in central Philippines, killing two
policemen and carting away at least 15 high-powered firearms,
army officials said.
Separate fighting also broke out between government troops and
Moro gunmen belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
in Magiundanao, southern Philippines, on Wednesday.
Three MILF rebels were killed while a civilian volunteer
fighter and a nine-year-old girl were wounded in the clash, Armed
Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said.
The MILF is engaged in peace talks with the government,
although there are intermittent clashes with troops.