Monday, December 04, 2006
RP marines say anti-terror offensive will help keep summit safe (6:55 p.m.)
MANILA -- A monthslong offensive has kept al-Qaida-linked militants on the run on southern Jolo island and prevented them from plotting attacks against targets, including an upcoming summit of Asian leaders, an official said Monday.
More than 600 marines were deployed over the weekend to join the more than 7,000 troops already hunting leaders of the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah on Jolo, marine spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan said.
The Abu Sayyaf is a small but violent group blamed for high-profile kidnappings, beheadings and bomb attacks, while the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah has been accused of plotting attacks in Southeast Asia, including the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali that killed 202 people. (AP) |
