April 22, 2004, The Philippine Star, Arroyo insists Abu Sayyaf a spent force, by Marichu Villanueva,

April 22, 2004, The Philippine Star, Arroyo insists Abu Sayyaf a spent force, by Marichu Villanueva,

President Arroyo declared yesterday the Abu Sayyaf bandit group is a spent force whose days are already numbered. 

"The Abu Sayyaf is a spent force and it can no longer resuscitate itself under other guises or names," Mrs. Arroyo said. 

The President said government forces will not ease up on their goal to eradicate the bandit group and neutralize their capability to regroup. 

Mrs. Arroyo strongly took exception to claims made by unnamed security officials on its capability to regroup and engage anew in a kidnapping spree due to alleged funding by foreign Islamic militant groups and the al-Qaeda affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). 

Mrs. Arroyo said its leaders and members are now on the run and its mass support has faded with the people reporting on the rebel band’s movements to authorities. 

"We will crush this group of bandits and terrorists in due time. The countdown has already begun," she said. 

The Abu Sayyaf, linked by both Washington and Manila to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network, has apparently stepped up efforts to attack urban targets in recent months. 

The group was known mostly for a series of bombings and kidnappings in the jungles and islands in Mindanao, including abductions of Western tourists and missionaries in 2000 and 2001. 

But last month, Mrs. Arroyo said authorities uncovered an Abu Sayyaf plan for "Madrid-level" bombings in Metro Manila, while the bandit group also claimed it planted a bomb on SuperFerry 14 that caught fire in Manila Bay on Feb. 27, killing an estimated 100 people. 

The government scored another major victory after government troopers on April 8 killed Hamsiraji Sali, a ranking bandit leader who carried a P5 million reward on his head. 

"Its remaining leaders and members are constantly on the run," Mrs. Arroyo said. 

The Abu Sayyaf has also been trying to build up its image as an Islamic movement in the largely Christian Philippines, possibly in the hope of getting more foreign and local support. 

Mrs. Arroyo stressed, however, the group lost whatever mass support it once enjoyed, leaving it open to government surveillance and operations. 

"Ordinary people have pointed to their lairs and movements to the authorities," she said. 

Troops trained by US military advisers have killed and captured several top Abu Sayyaf leaders in recent months but the military estimates that there may be some 400 members still active. - With AP, AFP