The ongoing military crackdown in Basilan and three other known havens of Abu Sayyaf terrorists and their supporters in Minda-nao may yet be broadened to cover other areas where members of the extremist group might have fled.
"An expanded crackdown could possibly take place, but it should be upon the initiative of the local political leaders and not the military," Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said.
The additional areas eyed for the expanded crackdown are the cities of Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro and Cotabato, as well as provinces in Southern, Central and Northern Mindanao.
Some of the Abu Sayyaf bandits flushed out from their mountain lairs in Basilan by the military’s continuing offensive, as well as the week-old saturation drive in Zamboanga City and the neighboring provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, reportedly fled to the three Mindanao regions.
The offensive was primarily meant to rescue at least 21 hostages, two of them Americans, being held by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan since May 27.
The military said the recent capture in General Santos City of Abu Sayyaf leader Nadzmie Sabtullah, alias Commander Global, confirmed reports of Abu Sayyaf landings in the coastal towns of Sta. Cruz and Malita in Davao del Sur and in Sarangani Bay in South Cotabato.
The military has also intensified its surveillance operations in Muslim-dominated communities in these areas where Abu Sayyaf bandits were believed to have sought refuge.
Government prosecutors have filedkidnap-for-ransom cases and illegal possession of firearms and amm unition against at least 54 suspected Abu Sayyaf members netted by the crackdown.
Another suspected Abu Sayyaf rebel was shot dead by soldiers after he resisted arrest in Jolo, Sulu. He was identified as William Nahimas.
Basilan police director Superintendent Akmadul Pangambayan said three of the suspects were caught in Isabela City, and one each in Sulu and Zamboanga City.
The former trooper was identified as Henry Torres of the 34th Infantry Battalion. Torres denied that he was an Abu Sayyaf member, saying he went into business after resigning from the military and married a native of Malamaui town.
Pangambayan maintained, however, that witnesses have tagged Torres as a member of the extremist group.
The military said Nahimas, one of 18 suspects being detained in Jolo, tried to grab a soldier’s firearm, but alert troopers shot him down before he could open fire.
Nahimas was believed to have taken part in last year’s abduction of 21 mostly foreign guests from the Malaysian dive resort of Sipadan in Borneo. The victims, among them 10 Europeans, were taken by boat across the border to nearby Sulu where the hostage drama lasted for several months.
All of the hostages, except one, have been released in batches amid rumors of payments of millions of dollars in ransom.
Lt. Col. Danilo Servando, spokesman for the military’s Southern Command based in Zamboanga City, said the Abu Sayyaf’s mass base support has collapsed as a result of the crackdown.
Servando said the operations deprived the bandits of their source of logistics and food supplies, adding that the enemies have been on the run.
Sporadic skirmishes between the troops and the Abu Sayyaf have left 24 bandits dead, 11 wounded and seven captured.
On the other hand, 24 soldiers were killed and 76 others wounded since the offensive was launched last month.
Meanwhile, soldiers discovered on Tuesday the decomposing body of a suspected Abu Sayyaf bandit in a secluded spot in Lamitan town in Basilan.
Maj. Alberto Gepilano, spokesman for Task Force Comet, said the cadaver, wearing black sweat shirt and pants, was found in Bohe Tasipit in Barangay Buhe Ebbuh.
In a message released by the United States Embassy in Manila, the family said they strongly believed that he is still alive.
"We appeal to the good people of the Philippines to help us find Guillermo. There is an entire family that awaits his return –his elderly parents, brothers, sisters and his four young children," the statement said.
It said Sobero, of Peruvian descent, has "profound love for the Philippines.
"I recall him saying the friendliest people in the world live there, and the islands with their pristine waters are paradise on earth," a family member said.
"I ask all of you to prove to us that Guillermo was right about the Philippines," he added.
Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya has said they have beheaded Sobero, a diabetic, who was reportedly wounded and was slowing down the group’s movements. However, his body has not been found.
Hostages freed earlier amid reports of ransom payment said the last time they saw Sobero was on the night of June 27 when he was trussed up and separated from the group.
Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized Sobero, along with an American missionary couple, 14 Filipino guests and three employees during a raid on the upscale resort of Dos Palmas in Palawan last May 27.
The victims were taken by boat across a 300-nautical mile expanse of the Sulu Sea to Basilan where the bandits also captured four hospital staff members and 15 plantation workers.
Four of the Filipino hostages have been killed, three of them by decapitation, while 13 others have been freed in stages, amid rumors of ransom payments.