Abu Sayyaf's new generation threatens Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Not long ago, the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group was dismissed as all but dead, thanks to a much-heralded joint effort against terrorism by the US and the Philippine military.

Now there is fear that the Abu Sayyaf may be coming back.

The group is blamed for a spate of kidnappings in recent months, including the latest - that of a Sri Lankan peace worker on southern Basilan Island earlier this month.

Abu Sayyaf raised more than 70 million pesos ($1.5 million) last year through ransoms, and its ranks rose to 400 members last year from 383 in 2007, a confidential government report noted.

Also, new leaders are rising to take the place of those captured by US-backed troops.

The rebirth of Abu Sayyaf raises renewed fears of terrorism. So far Abu Sayyaf has focused on raising money through kidnappings, but it is likely to pursue high-profile assaults to reassert its stature as a terror group, the report noted.

Abu Sayyaf has also allowed foreign militants, mostly members of the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, to make the region their home.

“As long as they are there, they can provide safe haven for Jemaah Islamiyah where they can train the next generation of bombers and terrorists. That’s why they’re a threat,” said Col. William Coultrup, who heads the US counterterrorism forces in Mindanao.

Abu Sayyaf, which means “Father of the Swordsman” in Arabic, was founded in 1991 in Basilan province and supported by Asian and Middle Eastern radical groups. It came to the attention of the US in 2001, when the group kidnapped three Americans among 20 people taken from a Philippine resort.

Abu Sayyaf was also thought to be sheltering Indonesian members of Jemaah Islamiyah, including Umar Patek and Dulmatin. The two are suspected of masterminding the Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people in 2002, and then fleeing to Abu Sayyaf strongholds in Mindanao to evade an anti-terror crackdown in Indonesia.

The Philippine military did not have the funds for a full-out assault against Abu Sayyaf, so American troops came in with weapons, combat training and surveillance. – AP