Military vows pursuit ops vs Abu Sayyaf

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The military vowed to keep the Abu Sayyaf militants on the run to rescue the remaining hostages with fresh troops and intelligence-driven plan as part of its relentless operation in Sulu and Basilan.

“The pursuit operation is ongoing and relentless to them (Abu Sayyaf group) on the run,” said Rear Admiral Reynaldo Yoma, chief of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) and current commander of the Joint Task Force Zambasulta (Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi).

Yoma said the continuous hunt that will keep the Abu Sayyaf on the run will also prevent the group from planning and conducting kidnappings and other terror attacks.

He said troops hunting down the Abu Sayyaf militants are being refurbished with fresh legs and intelligence planning to tire out the bandits and rescue the hostages like it did last Saturday to secure the freedom of captive Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra.

Vinciguerra fought and escaped from his captors while troops assaulted the militants in the mountain border of Talipao and Patikul towns.

But Vinciguerra left an ailing companion, Dutch Ewold Horn, who opted to stay because of his condition. Both victims were abducted last Feb. 1, 2012 in Panglima Sugala municipality off Tawi-Tawi and brought hostage in Sulu.

Yoma said the operation will continue to rescue all the remaining hostages still held by the Abu Sayyaf group. 

“The ultimate goal of this relentless campaign is to neutralize all the Abu Sayyaf bandits,” Yoma said. 

He said they were pursuing about 300-400 core members excluding the local supporters.