The combat operations were suspended the other day while negotiations were ongoing for the release of government peace negotiators led by Marine Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino and Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Undersecretary Ramon Santos.
Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, commander of the military’s Western Mindanao Command said in a phone interview that government operations under Oplan Ultimatum have resumed and that their troops are now in the jungles of the island province to hunt down the militants linked with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network.
"The soldiers are back there," Cedo said, "so as not to waste the information that the Abu Sayyaf is still there."
When asked why the military operations were suspended, Cedo said, "we don’t want to complicate that incident with our operations," referring to the incident in which government peace negotiators were held at the MNLF camp.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) maintains that Dolorfino, Santos and 23 others were not held hostage by a breakaway faction of the MNLF, but were invited by the rebel faction to discuss matters pertinent to the tripartite meeting between the rebel group, the government and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia scheduled for Feb. 6.
MNLF commander Ustadz Khabir Malik, who hosted Dolorfino’s group, denied taking them hostage.
Close to 8,000 soldiers have been deployed in Sulu since Aug. 1 last year to hunt down Abu Sayyaf leaders, their supporters and two Jemaah Islamiyah bomb experts — Dulmatin, who goes by one name, and Umar Patek, both wanted for the October 2002 bombing in the resort island of Bali, Indonesia, which killed 202 people and is considered to be the worst terrorist attack in Southeast Asia.
Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, spokesman Jainal Antel Sali, alias Abu Solaiman and other sub-leaders of the terrorist group have been slain in clashes with government forces.
In an earlier interview, Task Force Comet commander Brig. Gen. Ruben Rafael said that they would further intensify their operations in the jungles of Sulu to finish off the remaining commanders of the bandit group, particularly Radullan Sahiron, who is said to be protecting Dulmatin and Patek.
The military is also hunting down Abu Sayyaf leaders Isnilon Hapilon, Albader Parad and Abu Pula, alias Dr. Abu.
Rafael said they hope to neutralize the remaining Abu Sayyaf leaders, as well as their JI cohorts, at the soonest possible time. In a related development, a suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf was apprehended by government troops Barangay Koppong in the town of Indanan, Sulu Saturday.
Maj. Ernesto Torres, Army spokesman said the suspected Abu Sayyaf member was identified as Sabtal Muhi Malmosa, alias Ital, of Barangay Billukan, in Indanan. — James Mananghaya, Roel Pareño