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President
Arroyo ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday
to send more troops to Sulu in the offensive against the Abu
Sayyaf.
"We
cannot allow terrorists to hold the South hostage to their
agenda of mayhem and bloodsport," Mrs. Arroyo told the
AFP following the spate of military setbacks against the bandit
group since Thursday.
"The
military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf must continue, not
as an act of vengeance but to win the peace," the President
said.
The
Army deployed 120 more soldiers to reinforce troops battling
the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in Sulu, where 57 people were killed
in clashes this week.
The
Army company arrived in Jolo aboard a military C-130 transport
plane yesterday, the first group from two battalions - about
1,000 soldiers - to back up some 4,000 troops and Marines
pursuing the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas.
"We
are continuing with our operations to be able to cordon off
and finally destroy the Abu Sayyaf," Army spokesman Lt.
Col. Ernesto Torres said.
The
Army lost 25 soldiers in two separate clashes Thursday with
the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo - the largest number of government
casualties in a single day in recent years.
Twenty-seven
Abu Sayyaf bandits died in Thursday's clashes.
Another
soldier and four militants were killed in separate gunbattles
earlier in the week.
Among
the slain militants was Mazdal Jumdail, the alleged right-hand
man of Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad. He is also the
son of another senior leader, Umbra Jumdail, popularly known
as "Dr. Abu."
Dr.
Abu reportedly harbored two Jemaah Islamiyah operatives -
Dulmatin and Umar Patek - for several months in his mountain
stronghold in Jolo last year. Washington has offered a $100,000
reward for him and $15,000 for Parad.
Anti-terror
Task Force Comet chief Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael said a total
of 32 insurgents were killed in the ongoing offensive. The
military, on the other hand, suffered 28 dead.
"Our
forces continued the pursuit operation because the enemies
suffered a heavy number of wounded," Rafael said.
Rafael
said among those killed were rogue guerrillas of the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) involved in last Thursday's
attack.
The
rebels initially killed nine soldiers during an ambush and
the clashes dragged on later in the day with 15 more soldiers
getting killed in pursuit operations.
The
Army had claimed the attackers who ambushed soldiers Thursday
were members of the MNLF, a separatist guerrilla force that
signed a peace treaty with Manila in 1996, as well as members
of the Abu Sayyaf.
"We
want to make it clear that we are pursuing the Abu Sayyaf
and the rogue forces of the MNLF and not its mainstream faction,"
Rafael said.
AFP
chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said the upsurge in violence
showed that the military is closing in on the Abu Sayyaf in
Sulu.
"The
fact that we encountered them successively, tells you that
indeed we are gaining ground against them," Esperon told
reporters.
Esperon
said Mrs. Arroyo directed the military to review operational
battlefield policies following last Thursday's attack.
He
said the President had expressed concern about the mounting
toll.
"She
is very concerned about the casualties. She herself has said
we might have to look at some matters including some policies
in the operation. It is indeed a time for us to look deeper
into the operations," Esperon said.
Mrs.
Arroyo ordered Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino to personally
supervise the theater of operations in Sulu and Basilan.
Tolentino,
who is retiring late this month, was ordered by the President
to transfer his office in Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom)
headquarters to be near the troops on the frontlines.
"I
expect General Tolentino, considered as a soldier's soldier,
not just to orchestrate punitive actions against those who
wantonly maim and kill but also to evaluate peaceful overtures
of those who will demonstrate remorse," Mrs. Arroyo said.
'LULL
AT THE MOMENT'
Social
Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said about 35,000 people
have sought shelter in homes of relatives or government evacuation
centers to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
Sulu
Gov. Sakur Tan said the evacuees came from the towns of Parang,
Maimbung and Indanan.
"We
hope it will not spill over to the other municipalities,"
he said.
According
to Tan, he received no reports of fresh fighting as of noon
yesterday.
"There
is a lull at the moment. That means they (the Abu Sayyaf)
also got tired. Maybe they are on the run," Tan said.
Tan
added the displaced civilians were accommodated in evacuation
centers in the three towns affected by the military operations.
He
said schools were not utilized as evacuation centers to avoid
interrupting classes.
"Having
the evacuees housed in the school will bring psychological
effects to the pupils and even affect their health so we have
designated areas for evacuation centers and bring in all the
necessary relief and assistance needed for the evacuees,"
Tan said.
According to Tan, more than 10,000 people were displaced by
the conflict.
"The
numbers have swelled to more than 10,000 evacuees and they
are now being attended to," he said.
'LEAVE
THEM ALONE'
Esperon
admitted there were operational losses in last Thursday's
attack but stressed they were part of the risk the military
faces in the battle against terrorists.
Esperon
also lashed back at lawmakers over proposals to question the
AFP and the Department of National Defense (DND) over the
number of casualties in last Thursday's attack.
"We
are not playing on the number of casualties. We cannot avoid
getting casualties whenever there is a war, it's all part
of the risk the military is taking," Esperon said in
an interview in the weekly radio program "Para Sa Iyo
Bayan" of Vice President Noli De Castro.
He
stressed having casualties is one of the realities in the
fight against terrorism.
Although
the Armed Forces received a budget of P47 billion, Esperon
said more than 80 percent goes to salaries and pensions of
retired soldiers.
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