sayyaf

Rebels send army latest vicims' heads

MANILA

IThe Philippine military has stepped up its
campaign against the Abu Sayyaf after the Muslim
terror group beheaded seven men and sent their
heads to two army detachments, a spokesman
said.

The gruesome delivery, in two bloody sacks, was a
message from the Muslim rebel group that it is still
a menacing foe despite an eight-month ground
offensive to flush it from the southern island of Jolo.

“The commanding general of the Philippine Army
issued a guidance to the army field commanders to
intensify the military operations against the Abu
Sayyaf,” said army spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel
Ernesto Torres.

“We really have to stop and put an end to such
barbaric acts.”

The military suspects the Abu Sayyaf may have
beheaded the men this week in retaliation after
troops killed more than 70 of its members,
including two top leaders, in a campaign backed by
US advisers and equipment.

The armed forces estimate that the Abu Sayyaf’s
core strength has been halved from around 400
fighters due to the operations.

To fully root out the Abu Sayyaf, the military needs
the support of local communities but analysts fear
that a recent offensive against another rebel group,
the Moro National Liberation Front, could
jeopardise local cooperation.

The commander of military forces on Jolo said that
they will continue to track MNLF commander Habier
Malik despite opposition from Muslim countries.

After carefully avoiding airstrikes in their pursuit of
the Abu Sayyaf, the military dropped 250 pounds on
Malik’s camp, triggering the evacuation of more
than 40,000 people.

“We cannot allow him to go unpunished. We want
this cycle of violence to end soon,” Major General
Ruben Rafael said in an interview.

Around 30 rebels, three soldiers and one civilian
have been killed and more than 100 people have
been injured in the violence.