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| Southeast Asia |
| Army division sent after Janjalani |
| 2005-09-05 |
| The military has unleashed a whole Army division in Central Mindanao with one mission in mind: wipe out Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and his followers. Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) chief Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza, just six days away from retirement, has not softened his stance on neutralizing the local terrorists in order to stop bombings in the war-torn region, according to Col. Domingo Tutaan Jr., chief of the Southcom’s unified staff. "The Southcom has dedicated a whole (Army) division to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf terrorists now hiding in Central Mindanao with suspected JI (Jemaah Islamiyah( cohorts," Tutaan told reporters. But amid beefed-up efforts against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and their cohorts from the JI in the region, three Army soldiers were killed in an ambush yesterday in Sulu by suspected Abu Sayyaf men. The attack, which occurred at the Karawan complex in Indanan, Sulu at around 6:30 a.m., was led by Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, according to anti-terror task force chief Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo. "The three soldiers were killed on the spot. Pursuit operations are ongoing and we will not stop until we get these terrorists," Aleo said. Jumdail is one of the key leaders of the group wanted by the US and Philippine governments for a string of bombings and kidnappings in recent years. The Abu Sayyaf is on the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. The victims were identified as Lt. Sahiron Gumampang, Pfcs. Hasan Darib and Arnold Baldorado — all members of the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion. Army spokesman Maj. Bartolome Vincent Bacarro said the soldiers were unarmed and were in civilian clothes as they were about to attend the 7 a.m. Muslim mass in Indanan. The military had been belittling the Abu Sayyaf, calling it a spent force due to the number of arrests made against its leaders and members recently. Military forces claimed to have so far eliminated 14 Abu Sayyaf members since the 6th Army Division under Maj. Gen. Agustin Dema-ala launched an offensive against them on July 1 after the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front collaborated in ejecting the terrorists from Mindanao. According to Braganza, the battalions of Army men based in several towns in Maguindanao province under the 6th Division have been trapping more of the elusive terrorists. Braganza also appealed to the public to stay alert as the Abu Sayyaf may attempt to carry out diversionary attacks. "These threats are real and we are calling on the people to keep their vigilance," Braganza said. Meanwhile, two suspected members of the communist New People’s Army were arrested Saturday night in Barangay Beguin in Bulan, Sorsogon shortly after an encounter with government forces. Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo showed the arrested suspects were identified as Noli Gegantoca, alias Lino, and Julie Gulimlim, alias Maan. Their five companions managed to escape. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 49P: Just like GMA's boy toy Braganza to announce a big charge and then retire. Do you think Estrada did a better job of dealing with Muslim separatists? |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2005-09-05 20:19 |
| #1 Just like GMA's boy toy Braganza to announce a big charge and then retire. It will take the Div three weeks to mass to any force capable of hunting KJ. THe new Southcom CDR will be stuck with half staffed plans and a command in disarray. He would do better reitireing early and going back to coddling GMA. Let the new commander fight the fight or do as most of them do and talk with no action. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2005-09-05 20:12 |