RP to end search for Abu Sayyaf chief

RP to end search for Abu Sayyaf chief

PHILIPPINES: The Philippine military will soon end its three- month-long hunt for the country's most wanted Moro militant in part of the southern island of Mindanao, a senior defense official said on Thursday.

The failure to capture Khaddafy Janjalani, the leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group, appears to be a setback for the United States, which has poured millions of dollars into training and equipping Philippine troops to fight militants.

The defense official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that Philippine troops would give up their search in Maguindanao province by the end of September following complaints from local Muslim communities.

"We're not giving up our efforts to hunt down Janjalani," the defense official told Reuters.

"But there is a more urgent need to avoid the undue and prolonged displacement of local communities in affected areas." -- Reuters