EDITORIAL - Decapitated

Jainal Antel Sali Jr., a.k.a. Abu Solaiman, is definitely dead; Khadaffy Janjalani’s demise, rumored several times in the past, is still being verified. In Solaiman’s case, the corpse was presented to the public for comparison with the photo in his wanted poster, which also promised a $5-million bounty for information leading to his capture.

The bounty will be paid by Washington, which wanted Solaiman for the bombing that killed an American soldier in a roadside eatery in Zamboanga in October 2002 as well as the Abu Sayyaf’s abduction of 18 Filipinos and three Americans from a Palawan resort in May 2001. Solaiman, who had replaced the flamboyant Abu Sabaya as Abu Sayyaf spokesman, had also claimed responsibility for the attack on the SuperFerry 14 in Manila Bay in March 2004 that left over 100 dead or missing, as well as the bombing of a bus in Makati on Valentine’s Day 2005.

For about a decade, the AFP had failed to stop the Abu Sayyaf from terrorizing the people of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and other parts of Mindanao. The failure had triggered suspicions that the military did not actually want to neutralize the threat that justified the annual appropriation of billions of pesos in intelligence funds and gave urgency to military modernization. The neutralization of Abu Sayyaf commanders such as Sabaya, Ghalib "Robot" Andang and now Solaiman – and possibly the top dog himself, Janjalani – should dispel those ugly suspicions.

As the leadership of the Abu Sayyaf is decimated, the government should lose no time consolidating its gains. Areas cleared of Abu Sayyaf influence must remain secure enough to pave the way for the development required to deny sanctuary to terrorists. The Abu Sayyaf is being decapitated. The government must see to it that the terrorists’ ranks are not replenished and the group cannot rise again.