January 7, 2009, The Philippine Star, Philippines: Sixty-two Abu Sayyaf members said killed in 2008,

January 7, 2009, The Philippine Star, Philippines: Sixty-two Abu Sayyaf members said killed in 2008,

Sixty-two Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed in military operations in Mindanao last year.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Armed Forces public information chief, said the terrorists were slain in military encounters from January to December last year.

"For the year (2008), we were able to successfully neutralize 62 Abu Sayyaf (members)," he said.

However, Torres said the military has yet to come up with an estimate of the remaining Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

The military is conducting an intelligence assessment to determine the number of homegrown terrorists still operating in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, he added.

Torres said the number of the Abu Sayyaf could not be exactly determined because the terrorist group could have taken in new recruits.

"It is always possible that they were able to recruit some members," he said.

"So we are still doing an assessment as to how many were recruited during the year (2008)."