| 60 Abu Sayyaf
members killed in operations-- AFP ZAMBOANGA CITY (ABS-CBN) -
Fatalities within the ranks of the Abu Sayyaf has reached 60 even as the military failed
its initial target to end the Sulu hostage crisis in less than a week.
In a news briefing ,Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen.
Generoso Senga , said of the ASG fatalities , 18 were based on body count while the
additional 42 were gathered from intelligence information ..
Additionally, 9 terrorists were wounded , 22 have been
apprehended, 38 assorted firearms recovered as well as one night vision goggle and two
speedboats.
Senga was silent on the conditions of the known leaders of the
ASG : Khadafy Janjalani, Abu Sabaya, Galib Andang alias Commander Robot, Mujib Susukan and
Radullan Sajiron.
On the government side, Senga said three soldiers and three
policemen have been wounded and there are still no government fatalities.
But the biggest development was Senga's disclosure that the
four civilians earlier reported to have been killed in the operations were actually alive.
"There was a clarification that the four were only
injured ," he said, adding that the Department of Social Welfare and Development
listed a total of 3,571 displaced families.
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado was the one who disclosed
the four civilian fatalities and later confirmed by the National Disaster Coordinating
Council in its report .
Independent reports however, pointed to over 100 civilian
casualties- both dead and wounded- from the military assault. Senga said he was basing his
announcement from "official{" reports.
But the military spokesperson could not give a direct answer
when asked why the government failed to end the Sulu crisis within six days as earlier
claimed by Task Force Trident chief Brig. Gen. Narciso Abaya to President Estrada last
Sunday, the second day of operations.
'There are still 17 hostages in their (ASG) hands which have
to be secured," was all Senga could say.
On the reported ceasefire request by Afro -American captive
Jeffrey Schilling aired over a radio station in Zamboanga City , Senga said: 'The
instructions for us to intensify operations against the Abu Sayyaf has not changed."
He added that the voice of Schilling will be
"analyzed" to determine whether it was indeed the American captive issuing the
request.
AFP chief Gen. Angelo Reyes earlier said that "serious
and concrete efforts are being undertaken" to secure Schilling from his captors.
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