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Friday, July 11, 2003
Soldiers, cops hunt down Sayyafs in Palimbang
By Edwin G. Espejo
PALIMBANG -- Soldiers began cordoning off several barangays in this town of Sultan Kudarat after receiving reports that Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani and his men were hiding there.
Anticipating a clash between members of the Army's 601st Brigade and the heavily armed Abu Sayyaf gunmen, some 300 families in the barangays had left their homes for more secure places.
Residents told the military that Janjalani and at least 54 of his men landed in the coastal barangay of Libua aboard three large outrigger boats (kumpits) shortly before noon on Saturday.
They said the guerillas were heavily armed and brought communications equipment that were state-of-the-art.
Soldiers began deploying in the town on Tuesday after confirming that the guerillas did indeed enter Palimbang through Libua.
President Arroyo in Manila ordered the continued and intensified hunt for Janjalani's group, after she was informed that the group fled Basilan to hide in Sultan Kudarat.
Palimbang information officer Alex Avon told reporters Thursday the residents of the hinterland villages of Molon, Butril, Madjaris and Lumitan are now staying with their relatives in the coastal barangays of Palimbang.
More than 100 bags of rice were already distributed to the evacuees who said they feared being taken as hostages by the Abu Sayyaf.
No let-up
Arroyo said in a statement there would be no let-up in the offensives against the Abu Sayyaf until the whole group is neutralized and brought to justice.
"Terrorists will be hunted down wherever they are and brought to justice. We shall keep them on the run until they are all accounted for. We shall not give them any quarter or opportunity to rest or plan out their evil deeds," Arroyo said.
Brig. Gen. Alexander Yano, 601st Brigade commander, said the soldiers sent after Janjalani and his men are equipped with night vision goggles enabling them to see at night.
The Philippine Navy is also implementing a blockade within the Sarangani Bay while the Philippine Air force flew several sorties above the forested mountains of Palimbang to pinpoint the location of the bandit group.
A team from the mobile group of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 12 has also been dispatched to the area.
Palimbang Mayor Labualas Mamansual said Janjalani and his men are joining forces with the kidnap-for-ransom groups Abu Sufian and Pentagon.
The town mayor claimed the bandit group has swelled to 71 fully armed men and is still in Barangay Butril.
Heavily armed
Mamansual, a former top Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander in the area before he surrendered to the government in the late 70's, said Janjalani and his men are armed with two 90mm recoilless rifles, four M-60 light machine guns, and assorted high powered rifles.
The extremist group is also reportedly equipped with six satellite telephones and a portable satellite disc antenna.
Three Arab-speaking foreigners were also spotted with the Abu Sayyaf when they landed, Mamansual said.
He urged the military here to "expedite the early termination" of the extremists in his town.
The mayor is afraid that the Abu Sayyaf will be able to gain a foothold in the entire Sultan Kudarat and nearby provinces.
Janjalani and his group were believed to have landed in the town at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, said Chief Insp. Kadil Masahod.
The bandits reportedly told residents they were on their way to Maasim and just stopped in the area to have the engine of one of their pumpboats, which conked out, repaired.
One of the powerful outrigger boats reportedly bore registration marks stating it was registered in Zamboanga City.
A few hundreds
Many are now asking how Janjalani and his group were able to slip past the military and naval cordons in Zamboanga del Norte or Sulu, where the elusive bandit leader was earlier sighted.
But Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye defended the military on reports that it was given the slip by the bandit group, noting that the group has been on the run for sometime and its strength has greatly diminished as the offensives continued.
"It's not entirely correct to say that the military operation against the group was unsuccessful because during the past three months, we were able to significantly degrade the effectiveness of the Abu Sayyaf. They're down to a few hundreds from a previous strength of close to 800. So, I think that's an improvement and, as you know, it's difficult to go after the guerillas," he said.
The US, despite its having all the possible resources and technologies, even faces difficulties in tracking down some of the terrorists and personalities it is hunting down.
Although the bandits announced they only wanted to have their engine repaired in Libua, residents panicked when the gunmen started taking up defensive positions around the fishing village.
Janjalani and his group moved out of the village shortly after nightfall and headed in the direction of Barangay Butril, a forested village some 30 kilometers away from the town center of Palimbang.
Commander Ronnie Piang, chairman of the Maitum-based Bewang State Revolutionary Committee of the MNLF, told Mamansual he was able to talk to Janjalani, who initially introduced himself and his group as Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members.
Mamansual said he believed that Janjalani and his men really intended to land in Palimbang. Palimbang is 160 kilometers away from General Santos City.
Joined forces
Mamansual said Janjalani and his men were met by Ismael Abdulrakman, a top Pentagon leader based in Sarip Aguak, and later joined forces with Abu Sufian leader Alo Binago.
Binago and his group were responsible for the kidnapping of General Santos hotelier Carlos Belonio and South Korean national Jae Keon Yoon early last year.
Mamansual, however, claimed Abdulrakman and four other members of the group were able to leave the area on Monday.
He believes the group has now broken into several units but is still in Sitio Sinapsap in Butril.
Butril is a former MNLF stronghold.
"They are still there," he Mamansual. Sun.Star General Santos/With She Caguimbal-Torres
(July 11, 2003 issue)
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