November 16, 2005, The Philippine Star, Philippine troops pursue Abu Sayyaf bandits as fighting in Sulu "contained".

November 16, 2005, The Philippine Star, Philippine troops pursue Abu Sayyaf bandits as fighting in Sulu "contained".

Excerpt from report by Roel Pareno, Delon Porcalla, Jaime Laude, and AFP entitled: "Sulu fighting contained - AFP", published in English by Philippine newspaper The Philippine Star website on 16 November; subheading as published

Zamboanga City: Four days of fierce fighting between Muslim militants and troops in Indanan, Sulu have been contained, leaving at least 24 dead, the military said yesterday. "There is an ongoing clearing operation. The fighting has been contained," said Maj Gamal Hayudini, spokesman for the Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) based here. However, Hayudini stressed that soldiers were still on the trail of the Al-Qa'idah-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits. The military is in hot pursuit of the group under Umbra Jumdail, alias Dr Abu Pula, and that of Radulan Sahiron, alias Commander Putol, that broke into factions.

Hayudini and Brig-Gen Alexander Aleo, chief of the anti-terror Task Force Comet, also released a revised casualty figure on the part of the government. They said only four soldiers were killed, not seven, and 22 others were wounded. Up to 20 members of the Abu Sayyaf were believed killed, the military said. The casualty figures on the bandits were based on two-way radio transmission intercepts and ground reports. "There are no fresh casualties on our side and the figure remains the same since Sunday [13 November]," Aleo said in a phone interview from his base in Jolo where his task force oversees the offensive operation of the two marines and army brigades against the Abu Sayyaf.

As many as 500 families or 2,500 villagers have fled Indanan town, where the military launched the offensive on 11 November against an Abu Sayyaf unit responsible for a spate of kidnappings in 2000, Hayudini said. The evacuees were temporarily housed in an evacuation centre in Barangay Asturias in the capital town of Jolo.

Sulu Gov Benjamin Loong said coordination with government line agencies has been made and assistance was being extended to the civilian victims. There were no reported civilian casualties from the conflict, Loong said, adding the residents have been trained on what actions to take in times of crisis. Security remains tight in vital installations in Sulu to prevent Abu Sayyaf rebels and sympathizers from staging diversionary attacks.

In a phone interview from his base in Jolo, Aleo said fighting has subsided with the Abu Sayyaf gunmen fleeing. Aleo said the bandits moved out from their defensive positions following intense military ground and artillery attacks. "They moved out and transferred to other locations but troops are in pursuit," he said, adding the new location has been pinpointed.

The Abu Sayyaf members were being backed by other rebel groups identified with a breakaway faction of former Mindanao regional governor Nur Misuari, he said. The Abu Sayyaf is a small gang of Islamic militants linked both by Manila and Washington to Usamah Bin-Ladin's Al-Qa'idah network, as well as with the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). The group is behind a spate of high profile kidnappings of foreigners since 2000 and is wanted for the deaths of two American hostages. It has also claimed responsibility for the firebombing last year of the SuperFerry 14 in Manila Bay, killing over 100 people in the country's worst terrorist attack.

Aleo said the clearing operation has been hampered by severe weather as the island province has been battered by heavy rains for the past two days. "Heavy rains hindered the operation but the troops continued their search and destroy mission," Aleo said. Wounded soldiers who were on the front line confirmed the heavy losses of the Abu Sayyaf but could not give exact casualty figures.

Manoeuvring forces ran into an abandoned mobile base of Abu Pula last 12 November in Buud Purok and discovered many empty shells of mortars, assorted magazines and live ammunition as well as bloodstains. S-211 fighter training jets and OV-10 bomber planes hovered in the southern skies of this city yesterday in what observers believed to be a show of force by the military. The military here, however, said no air strike had been launched so far due to heavy rains in Sulu and ground forces had not requested any air support.

Not taking chances

Despite the easing of hostilities in the island province, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it was ready to dispatch military reinforcements if fighting flares up anew. "We have contingency plans in any military operation. We always have reserves. When necessary, when we believe the engaged troops cannot come up with a good fight against the enemy, we will be sending reinforcements," said Col Tristan Kison, public information chief of the AFP.

The AFP has four battalions of the Philippine Army and Philippine Marines in Sulu pitted against at least 200 Abu Sayyaf bandits. Despite this lopsided ratio of five soldiers to one guerrilla, the Abu Sayyaf has continued operating in Sulu.

To prevent the Abu Sayyaf gunmen from fleeing the island, Kison said Navy gunboats have been deployed to block possible escape routes. [passage omitted]

Source: The Philippine Star website, Manila, in English 16 Nov 05, BBC Monitoring