Land mines slow down offensive vs Abu Sayyaf

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Abu Sayyaf rebels have planted several land mines around their jungle lair in Indanan, Sulu, slowing down the military offensive against the Muslim extremists, an Army officer said yesterday.

Col. Romeo Tolentino, commanding officer of the 104th Infantry Brigade and Task Force Trident, said troopers have, so far, found five land mines and 50 kilos of urea, commonly used in homemade bombs, last Saturday.

Tolentino reported to the Southern Command that the land mines were planted near nipa huts and along trails leading to the rebels’ lair in Barangay Karawan, Indanan town.

Indanan’s adjoining town of Talipao is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf where they held captive for more than five months 21 mostly foreign hostages they had seized from the Malaysian island resort of Sipadan last year.

Except for Filipino diving instructor Roland Ullah, all hostages were ransomed off.

Tolentino said members of the 4th Infantry Battalion clashed last week with the guerrillas in a Sulu village where Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Asmad Salayuddi, alias Abu Sabaya, was attending the wedding of one of his followers. One soldier was wounded in the encounter.

Col. Hilario Atendido, spokesman of the Southern Command, said Sabaya’s group has gained the sympathy of villagers whom they promised doleouts from the huge ransom his group had amassed in last year’s kidnappings.

Meanwhile, Atendido said the Abu Sayyaf is excluded from the Arroyo administration’s peace initiatives.

"There is no such thing as peace negotiations with terrorists," he said, referring to the bomb attacks, abductions and extortion the extremist Muslim group has pulled off in the region.

The Abu Sayyaf still holds American Jeffrey Craig Schilling hostage, although authorities believed he was a "walk-in hostage."

But Atendido said the military will continue their search for Ullah and Schilling.