November 4, 2002 The Philippine Star, AFP: Sayyaf still top threat in South, by Roel Pareño,

November 4, 2002 The Philippine Star, AFP: Sayyaf still top threat in South, by Roel Pareño,

ZAMBOANGA CITY — After nearly 12 years of wreaking havoc in the southern Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf is still the No. 1 threat group in the region, the military said yesterday. 

Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya said military forces in Sulu are still hunting down around 200 fully armed Abu Sayyaf bandits led by seven leaders and sub-leaders. 

"They are still the threat. Our forces are tied up in running after this group," Abaya said. 

England has already included the Abu Sayyaf on its terrorist blacklist, putting the bandit group in the same grouping as the Jemaah Islamiyah, the Islamist Movement of Uzbekistan and the al-Qaeda terrorist network of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden. 

The Southcom has some 5,000 soldiers on the ground tasked with neutralizing the Abu Sayyaf and rescuing the seven hostages now in the bandits' clutches - three Indonesian sailors snatched by the group on June 17 and four female Jehovah's Witness evangelists seized last Aug. 20 in Jolo, Sulu. 

The military has mounted a massive manhunt for the Abu Sayyaf leaders, including the group's chieftain, Kadhaffi Janjalani. Other Abu Sayyaf leaders being hunted down are Janjalani's chief of staff Ghalib Andang, alias Commander Robot, Mujib Susukan, Umbra Jumdail alias Dr. Abu Pula, who are all based in Sulu, and Hansiraji Sali and Isnilon Hapilon, who are based in Basilan. 

Besides the seven known Abu Sayyaf leaders, military and police intelligence units are also tracking down the leader of the Abu Sayyaf bomb squad following the arrest and filing of criminal charges against several Abu Sayyaf members. 

The authorities are also hot on the tracks of the leaders and members of Abu Sayyaf splinter groups, including Jumdan Jamalul alias Black Killer, and Abu Solaiman, the immediate commander of the bandits' urban terrorist group. 

Jamalul is believed to have masterminded the spate of bombings that killed 12 people, including an American Green Beret, and wounded 21 others last month in Zamboanga City. 

Founded by Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Jananlani [spell the fucking names right, dip shit]  in 1990, the Abu Sayyaf — which means "Bearers of the Sword" in Arabic — was meant to train freedom fighters to join the separatist movement to establish a Muslim state in Mindanao. 

Lack of funds made the group turn to banditry and the Abu Sayyaf began its reign of terror shortly after the arrival of the missionary ship MB Doulos. 

The Abu Sayyaf rebeks first gained notoriety when they raided Ipil town in Zamboanga del Norte on April 4, 1995, killing at least 54 people and leaving the town center in ruins. Since then, the bandits have engaged in kidnappings for ransom, beheading and raping their captives and setting off bombs in terrorist attacks on civilian areas. 

The elder Janjalani was killed in an encounter with the military in Basilan on Dec. 18, 1998, passing the leadership of the then rag-tag group to his younger brother. 

Despite the stepped up military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf dubbed "Operation Endgame," police and military officials could not say whether the terrorists are still in Zamboanga City or have escaped the authorities' dragnet. 

"We see here a modus operandi of the terrorist group. They don't choose their target just to carry out diversionary tactics," Abaya said. 

However, he added that the recent series of bomb attacks in Zamboanga City has only strengthened the resolve of the police and the military to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf once and for all. 

The military has continued its tactical interrogation of at least 24 suspected Abu Sayyaf members who were caught in the jungles of Talipao, a known Abu Sayyaf stronghold. 

Sulu military commander Col. Alexander Aleo said the suspects claim to be farmers who were working in the middle of the jungles of Mt. Daho when they were arrested. 

Meanwhile, the military has filed a "zero incident" report in Mindanao over the All Saints' Day break, Abaya said. 

Abaya attributed this pause in hostilities to the Southcom's tough new security procedures. It was these security measures that uncovered and thwarted terrorist plans to bomb and sabotage various public conveyances in Mindanao, he added. 

The Southcom chief also credited the peaceful holiday celebration to vigilant civilians, who cooperated with the police and the military personnel manning cemeteries, vacation spots and other public places. 

"We were really impressed with the active participation of the people, who took up the cudgels of giving information about the presence of suspicious baggage or individuals," Abaya said. 

"The only way to fight terrorists is not to be cowed and the people have shown (their courage)," he added. 

The Southcom handles some 45 percent of the AFP troops outside Manila and stationed the majority of its personnel in key areas to provide security for the celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. 

Marines will also be deployed to the downtown commercial district of this city to augment police personnel put on alert against any possible terrorist attacks. 

The 3rd Tactical Operations Wing (TOW) was also utilized in the anti-terrorism force to further tighten security here. 

Abaya said the 5th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) and the military forces of Zamboanga Task Group (ZTG) will continue their patrol of the shopping district here until December. 

It will be recalled that terrorists bombed adjacent department stores here last month, killing seven people and wounding 162 others. Military personnel also found two undetonated bombs within the shopping district after the bomb attack.