End seems near for Abu Sayyaf Muslim kidnappers
in the Philippines
MANILA, Sept 17 (AFP) - When
Philippine military helicopters plucked a group of freed western hostages from the Abu
Sayyaf stronghold of Jolo last month, German tourist Werner Wallert was told he would have
the head of rebel leader Commander Robot on a plate as a Christmas present.
Three weeks later, a massive
military assault on the remote southern island seems intent in proving that the
unidentified air force general's grisly offer -- recounted by Wallert to a German magazine
last week -- was no idle boast.
The Muslim extremists
reportedly made a fortune from a wave of high-profile ransom kidnappings in Jolo and
nearby Malaysia from April, but then brought the wrath of the nation down on their heads.
For President Joseph Estrada,
destroying the group has become a political imperative after the Philippines endured four
months of humiliation brought on by his failure to resolve the hostage crisis.
On Saturday, despite the risk
to 22 hostages and the outrage of France which has two citizens among the captives,
Estrada declared "enough is enough" and ordered an attack.
Estimated to number about
4,000, hiding in a handful of Jolo villages, the Abu Sayyaf gunmen found themselves
besieged by elite troops and armor and under fire from jets, helicopters and howitzers.
Flight is near impossible with
a naval blockade of Jolo and with Malaysia warning that it will fire on any vessels that
illegally enter its territory.
Estrada has clamped a news
blackout on Jolo to keep tactical secrets from leaking out, but also effectively shielding
the public from any grisly details that might hurt the now sky-high popular support for
the campaign.
The military had waited nearly
five months to redeem itself after being forced to hold back due to European Union
pressure.
In announcing his decision,
Estrada declared that "an overwhelming majority of our people support a military
solution."
Even the Roman Catholic church,
usually a fierce Estrada critic and staunch exponents of non-violence, stood by him.
Founded in 1991 as a radical
offshoot of decades of Muslim separatist rebellion in the south, the Abu Sayyaf gained
international attention when it raided the dive resort of Sipadan on April 23, taking 21
Malaysian, German, French, South African, Filipino and Franco-Lebanese hostages to Jolo.
They triumphantly displayed
their dispirited captives to the international press -- some of whom paid for the pictures
and interviews.
The kidnappers freed some
hostages, reportedly after huge ransom payments were made, but replenished their
inventory, the latest being three Malaysians seized on Pandanan island near Sipadan a week
ago.
In the early 1990s the group
gained notoriety for kidnapping ethnic Chinese businessmen and bombing churches.
In 1995 it pillaged the
southern town of Ipil in 1995, killing 53 civilians.
Police reports say that prior
to Sipadan, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 22 people over a seven-year period including at least
12 foreigners, all later released for ransom.
In March, an Abu Sayyaf band
kidnapped 50 schoolchildren and several adults in the southern island of Basilan.
While most of the hostages were
later freed or rescued, the nation was outraged by news that two teachers had been
beheaded and that four other captives, including a Catholic priest, were killed when the
gunmen fled a similar military rescue.
Remnants of that band fled to
Jolo and later took an American hostage.
The kidnappers knew that as
long as they held hostages -- preferably foreigners -- the military would not risk
attacking them. Or so they thought.
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