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Saturday, September 09, 2006
Military vows to kill Sayyaf leader
MARINE Commandant Nelson Allaga on Friday said they will finish off Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and his two Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) cohorts who are on the run in the jungles of Sulu.
At least six Marine battalions, include an elite Force Reconnaissance Battalion, are pursuing the group of Janjalani and JI bombers Omar Patek and Dulmatin, alleged perpetrators of the Bali bombing in 2002, in the vicinity of Mt. Sinumaan in Patikul town.
Last Monday, six Marine soldiers died and 19 others were injured following a clash with a 200-man terrorist group under Janjalani. Military officials have claimed that scores of Abu Sayyaf men died in the three-hour fighting.
Allaga said Marine forces are stepping up their operations against Janjalani's group on instructions of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon and of Navy ChiefMateo Mayuga.
"We will pursue these terrorists relentlessly until we finish them off. Their days are numbered," said Allaga, adding that the killing of the six Marine soldiers last Monday will not go in vain.
Allaga made the statement at the wake of five of fatalities who were brought to the gymnasium of the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio for public viewing. The body of the sixth fatality - Private First Class Gilbert Parcia - is with his family in Cotabato.
The five fatalities were flown to Manila on Friday morning from the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) in Zamboanga City. They were Corporals Ryan Socrates and Judy Gatan and Privates First Class Isagani Zamora, Jayson Paiton and Harold Almodovar.
Asked if the group of Janjalani, Patek and Dulmatin would be neutralized by the operating Marine troops, Allaga said: "Yes, as I've said earlier, the days of these terrorists are numbered."
President Arroyo visited the wake of the fallen soldiers at around 3 p.m. Clad in a black dress, the President had separate private conversations with the soldiers' families.
Allaga said it would be very difficult for the group of Janjalani to escape the ongoing military offensive, which also involves several Army battalions. The operations, dubbed "Oplan Ultimatum", started last Augusr 1
He flew to Sulu a day after last Monday's clash with the group of Janjalani, one of the five Abu Sayyaf leaders wanted by the US, to supervise the ongoing operations. He returned to Manila on Thursday.
Allaga said operating troops recovered from the scene of the encounter computer diskettes allegedly owned by Patek "so there are suspicions that he might have been killed or wounded."
Armed Forces command center chief Allan Luga earlier said that based on information provided by civilians, Janjalani and Patek were wounded in the Monday clash. However he said this is subject of validation.
Asked what are the other documents contained in the diskettes, Allaga said: "We cannot retrieve them all. If they have military intelligence value, it's hard to release them because it may compromise operations and the technical people are still looking into it."
Mayuga said at least seven Navy ships are cordoning the Sulu province.
Esperon, meanwhile, said in a forum arranged by the Foreign Correspondents Association, said the military will sustain the ongoing operations "no matter how long it takes to get Janjalani and his JI cohorts." (VR/Sunnex)
(September 9, 2006 issue)
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