| Abu Sayyaf leaders
falling like flies? ZAMBOANGA, (ABS-CBN) - One by one, the notorious leaders of the dreaded Abu
Sayyaf are falling.
Sulu governor Abdusakur Tan announced Wednesday the Abu Sayyaf
rebels are being cornered by the military in Jolo, the southern Philippine island where
thousands of troops are battling to rescue 17 hostages held by the extremists.
During a press meeting Wednesday afternoon, Governor Tan
confirmed the Abu Sayyaf's number two leader, Radulan Sahiron. has indeed died from a
gunshot wound sustained during an encounter with government troops in Patikul, Sulu last
Sept. 18 -- the third day of the military assault.
Known as Commander Putol because of a severed left arm,
Sahiron is described as the over-all commander of the Sulu-based Abu Sayyaf.
Sahiron's group is allied with that of the Basilan-based
extremist rebels led by Khadaffy Janjalani, who has Afro-American Jeffrey Schilling in
captivity.
Another rebel leader, Mujib Susukan, was also wounded in one
of the encounters with the military, Tan added.
Also reported hurt following a Philippine Air Force bombing
last Monday is Abu Sayyaf leader Galib Andang, better known as Commander Robot.
Tan's pronouncement on the rebel leader's fatality refuted
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado's earlier statement that the report has yet to be
verified.
Governor Tan also bared that civilians are demonstrating their
support to the military by providing information to the government and by rejecting the
entry of the bandits in their community.
On Tuesday, residents of Maimbung town in Sulu clashed with
Abu Sayyaf rebels after they refused to provide sanctuary to the extremists. As a result
though, three civilians and a Moro National Liberation Front integree were killed.
Three rebels, including rebel commander Habib Sabtal Abdullah,
also reportedly died the encounter. Habib reportedly belonged to the faction who abducted
the 21 foreign tourists in Sipadan.
Despite the intensity of the war in Jolo, Governor Tan,
meanwhile, belied reports that his province is under martial rule.
Tan said the measures undertaken by the military are to assure
that no Abu Sayyaf member could sneak out of Sulu. He explained that the military is
simply carrying on what is expected of them in dealing with the Abu Sayyaf rebels.
Reports published in national dailies revealed the government
has declared martial law in Sulu, justifying the act of the military in conducting
house-to-house inspection.
Reports also state that civilians who are suspected to be
members of the Abu Sayyaf are being summarily executed.
No ransom for Schilling
The United States government remains steadfast that it will
not pay any ransom for the release of the Abu Sayyaf's American hostage Jeffrey Craig
Schilling.
US Embassy spokesman Thomas Skipper made the clarification
following newspaper reports stating the US government is now negotiating with the Abu
Sayyaf for Schilling's release.
Skipper said the US government is open to negotiations between
the Philippine government and the extremist rebels as long as no ransom is paid.
Villagers' ire
Meanwhile, the drawn-out hostage crisis in Jolo and the
subsequent military action to liquidate the ransom-thirsty rebels have apparently pushed
villagers to the edge, as evidenced by their recent encounters with the fleeing radicals.
In a wires report, it was bared that the mutilated bodies of
the three Muslim rebels killed by Maimbung villagers were dumped Wednesday in front of a
police station.
Hundreds of the bandits have fled into the jungles of Jolo
island with their hostages to escape the pursuing troops and aerial bombardments.
Commander Habib's band of about 10 rebels attempted to hide in
the coastal village of Lapa in Maimbung town, but civilians attacked them with bolos,
witnesses said.
"We fled to that village because of the bombing of our
own village,'' said Langka Dahim, the mother of a villager injured in the fighting.
"If there are Abu Sayyaf rebels there, we will be bombed again.''
The assault on the rebels, which began Sept. 16, has forced
75,817 villagers -- or 15 percent of the province's population -- to flee their homes,
local officials told the Associated Press.
The rebels' bodies, apparently maimed by the villagers, were
dumped by soldiers outside the town's police station to be claimed by relatives.
"It's also a warning,'' said police chief Mohamad Alamia.
"People will know that people who do bad things end up like that.''
The military originally estimated that the rescue would take
no more than six days. But Press Secretary Ricardo Puno indicated Tuesday it could take
several more weeks.
At least 106 rebels are believed to have been killed in the 12
days of fighting, the military said. Two government personnel have died and 10 were
injured.
President Joseph Estrada has ordered the military to look into
reports of human rights abuses during the attack.
Jolo congressman Hussin Amin said Wednesday that he had
received a letter from a barrio chief in Manilop in Indanan town complaining that soldiers
had stolen large
amounts of property from a mosque and from the homes of
villagers.
The complaint will be presented to a civilian-military
coordination center, he said.
(With a report from the Associated Press)
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