Sunday, July 09, 2006
Military strengthens intelligence vs Sayyaf remnants
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The military have intensified its intelligence operations in the island province of Basilan aimed at arresting the remnants of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, even as military officials said the impact has already been felt.
The military said there is no big group of Abu Sayyaf that is moving around the province unlike in the year 2000, according to a top military official of Basilan.
"We don't engage so much in combat operations. We are focused on intelligence operations to arrest the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf," said Basilan-based Army 103rd Infantry Brigade chief Brigadier General Raymundo Ferrer.
Top leaders of the Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf, like Khadafy Janjalani, Isnilon Hapilon and Jainal Antel Sali, alias Abu Solaiman, have been in hiding since the conduct of the RP-US joint military exercises dubbed as Balikatan 02-1 in 2002 in Basilan.
The Philippine Government along with the US defense department are offering reward of P275 million for the arrest of Janjalani, P275 million for Sali and P11 million for Hapilon.
Some of their followers who are still in Basilan province either move around individually or by pair, but they no longer commit atrocities like they used to do before the conduct of Balikatan 02-1.
"Most of them have warrants of arrest. So, it's a matter of looking for them, identify, arrest and bring them to the court," Ferrer told Sun.Star On-line in an interview.
The Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf had seized 54 people, including schoolteachers, pupils and slain Claretian priest Fr. Roel Gallardo in March of 2000.
The following year, they seized 20 people, including three American citizens from Dos Palmas Beach Resort, in Honda Bay, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.(Sunnex)
(July 9, 2006 issue)
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