Wednesday, June 06, 2007 Maxey: Abu Sayyaf feeling the pressure By Ram Maxey Bar None
GENERAL Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, has announced the end of "Plan Ultimatum," the anti-terror campaign that began last year, calling it "a success."
The campaign may have accounted for the deaths of Abu Sayyaf leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Solaiman, but it is far from being a complete success. It failed to eliminate another top Sayyaf leader named Radulon Sahiron and his group who have been coddling Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorists Dulmatin, who has a $10 million price on his head, and Omar Patek ($1 million).
Relentless pressure being applied by more than 8,000 government troops against Sahiron and the two fugitive JIs has forced the remnants of the ASG to break up into smaller groups the better to avoid detection. The military has found a wealth of information concerning the JI fugitives from personal belongings recovered from their lairs. But the day and night search for them in all kinds of weather by the military may has given the Abu Sayyaf more than it bargained for when it opted to take Dulmatin and Patek under its protective wing.
Already there has been talk of irritants between Sahiron and his "guest terrorists" who have reportedly chastised the Abu Sayyaf members as "ignorant of the Qur’an” and lacking the intelligence and ability to carry out proper jihad.
Sahiron may have resented such respect criticism and show of disrespect coming from the two JI "guests" he and his men have been protecting with their lives. It will not come as a surprise if he decides to cast them adrift to fend for themselves and ease the pressure being applied by tireless military pursuers on the weary ASG. Dulmatin and Omar Patek in the ASG camp are like a magnet to the military. No wonder Sahiron is having problems.
One other JI operative the military is looking for is Malaysian engineer and bomb-making expert Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, 41, who is reportedly in the Southern Philippines since August of 2003. Marwan has been coordinating with the renegade Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) unit headed by Abdulbasit Usman.
The two had set up several explosions in Central Mindanao last year whose main purpose was to derail the peace talks between the government and the MILF. Marwan has been training renegade MILF members in bomb-making. The AFP would like to get its hands on him, too.
As for Sahiron and his ASG having problems in their neck of the woods, I say, eat your heart out. Can't help offering a toast to that -- preferably red wine. Cheers.
