Palace cites gains in drive vs Abu Sayyaf

Best efforts.

Malacañang expressed satisfaction yesterday on the efforts of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to meet the 90-day deadline imposed by President Arroyo to finish off the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo understood the situation of the AFP in its campaign to crush the bandit group.

"What we have seen is the AFP has been doing its best to run after these Abu Sayyaf, especially their leaders," he said.

Bunye noted that during the 90-day period which started last Feb. 28, some of the key bandit leaders have been "neutralized."

Bunye told state-run Radyo ng Bayan that Mrs. Arroyo has confidence in the capability of AFP chief of staff Gen. Narciso Abaya.

Abaya was the former Southern Command chief, in charge of meeting the 90-day deadline imposed by Mrs. Arroyo before he was appointed AFP chief last month.

The Abu Sayyaf took a total of 102 hostages, including three Americans, among them missionary Gracia Burnham, in a year-long kidnapping spree that ended in June last year.

Mrs. Burnham, whose husband Martin and another hostage, Edibora Yap, were killed during a rescue attempt in Zamboanga del Norte in June last year, detailed her ordeal in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf in her book "In the Presence of My Enemies."

The Abu Sayyaf are still holding two Filipino women evangelists of the Jehovah’s Witness abducted last Aug. 20 when two of their male companions were beheaded.

Roland Ullah, a Filipino dive instructor abducted along with 21 other people from the Malaysian island of Sipadan three years ago, is also among the remaining hostages.

The bandit group, included by the US in the list of foreign terror organizations, has been loosely linked to the al-Qaeda network of international fugitive Osama bin Laden.

The remnants of the bandit group fled to Jolo following the conduct of the RP-US Balikatan joint military exercises in Basilan.

Some Abu Sayyaf fighters fled to nearby Pilas Island where military offensives left 17 of them dead.

The military launched the offensive recently following intelligence reports that Abu Sayyaf leaders are consolidating their remaining forces in the island.

No one among the 17 bandits led by Khaddafi Janjalani and other remaining bandit leaders were killed during the military offensive.

The other two are Hasiraji Sali, alias Jose Ramirez and Jainal Sali, alias Abu Solaiman. The fifth leader, Aldam Tilao, alias Abu Sabaya, was killed by government troops in an encounter in June last year off Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte.

Despite the series of successes, AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, admitted that the military may not be able to meet the 90-day deadline to completely wipe out the bandit group.

"Perhaps, what we need only is to add more (military) operations but we see that the Abu Sayyaf have really weakened already," Bunye said. –Marichu Villanueva