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| Southeast Asia |
| Abu Sayyaf now just bandits, says Philippine army chief |
| 2008-06-27 |
| The Abu Sayyaf, once the Philippines' most feared Islamic militant group, has splintered since the death of its leader and is now just a collection of bandits, the head of the armed forces said on Thursday. 'It has degenerated into a money-making group ... (with) activity devoid of any semblance of ideology or cause, they have degenerated into plain bandits,' General Alexander Yano told reporters. He said the Abu Sayyaf's recent kidnapping of a Philippine television journalist and her crew showed that the group needed funds. The group was freed last week after a ransom of at least 5 million pesos was paid ($112,500). Yano said he did not think the Abu Sayyaf had an acknowledged leader since their chief, Khadaffy Janjalani, was killed in a clash with Marines in September 2006. He said the group, which is estimated to have around 350 members, also no longer had permanent bases. The Philippine military, with help from U.S. special forces, mounted a prolonged ground offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in 2006 and 2007, killing many of the organisation's key members. The Abu Sayyaf, which has links to regional terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiah, is blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack; the bombing of a ferry outside Manila in 2004 that killed more than 100 people. Since the military's offensive, however, the organisation has stayed at its base on Jolo, a remote southern island, and carried out a number of kidnappings. |
| Posted by:Fred |