April 24, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Gov't troops press attack on Abu lair, by Julie Alipala-Inot,

THE FATE of the 28 hostages who are still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf remained uncertain as the military yesterday continued ground and air assaults on the stronghold of the Muslim extremist group. Even Malacañang was clueless on the alleged beheading on Wednesday of two hostages as it admitted it had no "A-1 information or source."

An Abu Sayyaf spokesman claimed two other hostages--a child and a schoolteacher--were wounded when government troops started attacking the rebels' Camp Abdurajak in Sumisip town, Basilan province on Saturday. The uncertainty about the remaining hostages continued as the military vowed to crush the rebel group which it had failed to dislodge from its jungle hideout in Camp Abdurajak.

The Abu Sayyaf rebels had warned Saturday they would behead their five remaining male hostages if the military did not halt attempts to rescue the hostages abducted from schools a month ago. Ignoring the threat, the Armed Forces of the Philippines' chief of staff, Gen. Angelo Reyes, said the military would not halt the attack until the hostages have been rescued and the rebels eliminated.

Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Ahmad Salayuddin said in a radio interview that a child and a schoolteacher suffered shrapnel wounds during Saturday's attacks, but he did not identify the wounded hostages. Salayuddin said he could no longer guarantee the safety of the remaining hostages, claiming some of them were suffering from trauma and could no longer eat because of the bombings.

The military denied Salayuddin's claim. "How can the Abu Sayyaf claim that the hostages were injured when fighting was concentrated away from the main camp?" said Brig. Gen. Glicerio Sua, deputy commander of the 1st Infantry Division.

A hostage allowed by Salayuddin to speak over a telephone to ABS-CBN television, first grade teacher Lydia Aron, said the child captives screamed when the assault began. "We are afraid of all the shelling because our living quarters do not offer any protection," she said. "The Abu Sayyaf are not moving us to the bunkers because that is for them. "We appeal to the government to stop," she added.

Clueless at the Palace

Malacañang remained clueless as to the true fate of the two hostages reportedly beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf. Presidential spokesperson Ricardo Puno Jr. said in a telephone interview that they were still going over conflicting reports on the alleged beheading.

"That's the problem," Puno said, "we can't have A-1 information or source."

"We have intelligence reports saying the victims were beheaded, but there are counter-reports saying they were not," he told reporters. But he said the conflicting reports may finally be clarified when the military completely overruns the Abu Sayyaf camp.

The rebels announced Wednesday they had beheaded two male teachers because the government had ignored the conditions they set for the release of the hostages, including the freeing of Arab terrorists held in jails in the United States.

On Saturday, Salayuddin said the hostages, abducted on March 20, remained in good condition despite the attack. But he warned that the rebels would begin beheading the remaining adult males, including teachers and a priest, as soon as Sunday if the rescue attempt continued. "After the operation, let (the military) come to get the heads of each of the male hostages, including that of the priest," he said.

No talking to fanatics

Maj. Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, chief of the military's Southern Command, challenged the Abu Sayyaf to prove it is tough "without using the hostages as human shields." He said the military's "primordial concern is not to kill the Abu Sayyaf or capture its camp but to safely rescue the captives, if possible, without any casualties."

He said the military can deploy as many as 10 battalions and drop as many bombs to achieve its objective, "but we will not do that because (it might jeopardize the safety) of the hostages."

In an interview with the Associated Press, Villanueva said: "I feel it's about time we stopped talking with these fanatics." From the way the rebels have been acting, it is apparent "they will just kill the hostages one by one," he said.

Salayuddin laughed off the military's rescue attempt. "Is this what they call a rescue," he said. "First, they failed to retrieve the hostages. Second, the bodies of the slain soldiers are already rotting here." He said Air Force helicopters tried to retrieve the bodies several times but failed. "We will never surrender," he said. "It is better to die than to yield."

Finishing what they started

Reyes said the military was determined to crush the rebel group, one of the most violent in the Philippines. "We are saddened by what happened," he said on Manila radio station dzMM. '"But of course we will finish what we started."

According to Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar, the military has overrun the Abu Sayyaf advance posts in Punoh Lumot, Punoh Ahiring, Punoh Timogen and Kulilisi, all in Sumisip town. These are now occupied by members of the 10th Infantry Battalion, Akbar added.

"Their (Abu Sayyaf's) days are numbered," said Basilan provincial government spokesman Hader Glang, quoting Akbar. The Abu Sayyaf also claimed that nine government men had been killed since the military launched the rescue on Saturday.

The military, however, said only five were killed on its side: PFC Indana Lawi, a PFC Mejias, PFC Sagad Misuari and militiamen Romano Lood and Erwin Laping. Wounded were 2nd Lt. Aldam Sansawi and PFC Dante Luminarias, according to the military.

Reports from Basilan last night said the government has lost seven men, but their names were not available. Government authorities said the Abu Sayyaf has so far lost 14 members, including one beheaded by the Christian armed cult Sagrado Corazon Señor. Scores of Abu Sayyaf rebels were also believed wounded in the attacks on the well-defended lair. The government casualties were incurred during the first wave of attacks in which the military captured three advance rebel posts and killed four rebels, Reyes said. Two rocket-firing helicopter gunships pounded the Abu Sayyaf outposts about 2 kilometers from the main camp where the hostages were being held.

Without letup

The Southern Command's chief of staff, Col. Ernesto de Guzman, said the offensive would continue despite the Abu Sayyaf's threat to behead more hostages. "There is no stopping the military operation and we will continue the assault on rebel camps without letup," De Guzman said.

Government troops were fighting an estimated 230-250 rebels in the rescue attempt, Reyes said. Villanueva said Air Force troops aboard helicopters were firing rockets on frontline camps of the rebels apparently to allow ground troops to penetrate the main camp.

Former separatist guerrillas belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who have been integrated into the military are involved in the attack, according to Villanueva. Navy ships have also been deployed to prevent the rebels from escaping and getting reinforcement from comrades in nearby provinces.

Big blunder

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) political affairs chair Ghazali Jaafar criticized the Abu Sayyaf for beheading two hostages on Wednesday, saying the Islamic law on war forbids the killing of non-combatants and innocent civilians. The non-combatant hostages include the women, the elderly, children below 18 years old and religious leaders, he said. He said that by killing two hostages, the Abu Sayyaf committed a big ideological blunder. A true revolutionary movement, he said, "protects and fights for the interest and welfare of the oppressed masses." --With reports from Jonathan F. Ma, Aquiles Z. Zonio, PDI Mindanao Bureau; Armand Nocum, AFP