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Troops pour into Sulu for Abu Sayyaf showdown
[Inquirer] The number of troops hunting down the Abu Sayyaf in the southern island province of Sulu is expected to grow to about 9,000 by next week, the Philippine military said on Thursday, amid taunts by the ruthless kidnap-for-ransom militants that it was prepared for a jihad.The deployment is the largest concentration of troops in a single area in recent memory. It comes shortly after 15 soldiers were killed by the Abu Sayyaf in fierce battles this week in Jolo, where the terrorists are holding a number of foreign hostages. President Duterte called on citizens to be vigilant against retaliatory attacks in the wake of intensified military operations. Duterte said, "You should be on guard since we're hitting them hard. I expect some…retribution also from them. That's their reprisal." He said the rebels "do not live by the laws of civilization. They are really evil." Abu Sayyaf spokesman Alhabsi Misaya said they were ready for the offensive, as he called on all Tausugs to join in a jihad. Misaya, in text messages, said the Abu Sayyaf had anticipated that "by Sept. 1, the Abu Sayyaf and soldiers of Duterte will test each other in a liberation." Misaya, under the command of Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron, said this would be "the last war of Patikul to the finish." "If they are given courage, this war is more fierce than in Zamboanga,” he wrote adding that they would rather "initiate the attack against the soldiers of Duterte." "The Abu Sayyaf is ready with its more than 1,000 forces to do a jihad," Misaya added. Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo dela Cruz said he received a similar message but minimized the Abu Sayyaf's real force as being between 200-250. Dela Cruz said the military would prefer the Abu Sayyaf launched their attacks as "it's better to be this way, so that we will no longer be hunting them." Posted by: ryuge 2016-09-02 |
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