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'Major battle' in Abu Sayyaf hunt
MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Friday that a fierce battle was underway in the southern islands of Jolo and Basilan as the military wages an all-out offensive against the remaining leaders of the Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf group. Speaking to reporters in Manila Arroyo said Philippine troops had already overrun four Abu Sayyaf camps and are now running after the group's top two leaders, Khadaffy Janjalani and Isnilon Hapilon. "We are now having a major battle in Sulu, right in the camp where the Abu Sayyaf was born," Arroyo said adding that the fighting might continue for the next two days. On Thursday, military officials reported a clash between Philippine army scout rangers and about 150 Abu Sayyaf guerillas led by Janjalani who were by tracked by U.S. surveillance planes in Jolo.
An army officer was killed in the 30-minute clash, while six others were wounded. Janjalani, an Abu Sayyaf chieftain, is on a list of Philippine terrorists wanted by the United States and has a $5 million bounty on his head. The military said the Abu Sayyaf camps had been setup recently in the town of Patikul in Sulu, and may have been abandoned by the guerrillas after the fighting. "In one of the camps, the area had five bunkers and a mess hall large enough to accommodate more than 50 persons," a military statement said. A military official said that U.S. surveillance and satellite technology is being used in the current offensive. The military operation follows an order by Arroyo to call off the search for the body of another Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabayya, believed to have been killed by government troops during a recent encounter. Arroyo said the troops should instead focus their energies to hunt down the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders, and eventually neutralize the group. Military estimates said military operations against the guerrillas have reduced their number from about 1,000 fighters to fewer than 250 over the last year. Hunt continuesSome 5,000 troops are deployed in the region on a mission to crush the Abu Sayyaf, whom Washington has linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terror network. About 1,000 U.S. Green Berets, pilots, support staff and military engineers are also in the region, to provide logistical support to Philippine troops. The American forces are to remain in Basilan, Zamboanga and central Cebu province until July 31, on a six-month mission to train and advise Philippine troops fighting the Abu Sayyaf. Arroyo has repeatedly vowed to crush the Abu Sayyaf, which has been a persistent irritation to the Philippine government carrying out a series of mass kidnappings for ransom, murders and other crimes. Earlier this month an attempt by the Philippine military to rescue three hostages held by the group ended with the death of two of the captives. Martin and Gracia Burnham, American missionaries from Wichita, Kansas, and Ediborah Yap were the group's last hostages. Martin Burnham and Yap both died in the rescue effort, along with four of the rebels. Gracia Burnham was shot through the thigh but survived. She was evacuated and is now recuperating in the United States. Speaking of the latest offensive Arroyo said government soldiers had been told they should no longer pull back on their offensive because the rebels no longer have hostages to use as human shields. |
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