Following the deadly clash in Basilan last August 12, the military in Mindanao is giving itself until yearend to comply with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's orders to crush the Abu Sayyaf – if it can find them. Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino said Monday the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, which he said now numbers only 40 to 50 in Basilan, is now mobile and its members have mixed with local folk. "Identified natin ang kanilang areas dito sa Basilan. Ganun pa man highly mobile, there are times [nakikisalamuha] sila sa ibang grupo sa Basilan kaya napakahirap [nilang] habulin. It would require a lot of intelligence effort [para] ma-determine saan sila bago kami maka-conduct ng operation," Dolorfino said in an interview on dzXL radio. (We have identified the areas where they are hiding in Basilan. But they have gone highly mobile. There are times they will mix with local residents, so it is hard to go after them. It would require a lot of intelligence effort to determine their whereabouts.) But he said they are still giving themselves until the end of this year to crush the bandits, who have ties with the Jemaah Islamiyah, tagged by authorities as the regional arm of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network. On Saturday, President Arroyo ordered the military to crush the Abu Sayyaf following her visit to Zamboanga City to check on the progress of operations against the bandit group. Just recently, the government rejected calls for giving amnesty to the Abu Sayyaf. It was Senator Richard Gordon who aired the proposal.
Rapid conclusion In the radio interview, Dolorfino said they are now pursuing a strategy of "rapid conclusion" to crush the bandits. "We will be pursuing strategy of rapid conclusion
ayon sa utos ng mahal na pangulo. We are hoping
matatapos ito before the end of the year (We will pursue a strategy of rapid conclusion as per orders of the president. We are hoping this will be finished by yearend)," he said. Also, he maintained that despite the Abu Sayyaf’s having gone highly mobile, the
bloody clash in Ungkaya Pukan town in Basilan last Aug. 12 was a major strategic accomplishment. Dolorfino estimated there are now "less than 50" Abu Sayyaf members in Basilan due to what he described as the big number of casualties they suffered last Aug. 12. "
Siguro we place their number [at] less than 50
na lang...kasi napakalaking casualties
[ang] natamo nila noong armed engagement of Aug. 12,
palagay namin maliban sa 21 body count
umabot sa between 30 to 40
ang nasawi nila sa labanan na yun," Dolorfino said. (We estimate their number at less than 50 because of the casualties they suffered. There were 21 bodies found but we estimate the number of Abu Sayyaf casualties at 30 to 40.) But he admitted that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the province remains a big force, with “500 to 600" members in four brigades.
MILF factor He said many of the MILF members there are relatives of the Abu Sayyaf, and would tend to "aid" their kin when the military attacks. Dolorfino said that even if they coordinate with the local MILF leaders, some MILF members could not help it if they come to their Abu Sayyaf kin’s aid. "One of the peculiarities in that part of Basilan,
kung may napalaban na isang grupo nagre-reinforce
lahat. Kaya habang patagal ang labanan dumadami ang kalaban (One peculiarity of that part of Basilan is that if one group is engaged in a fight, the other groups come to its aid. So the longer the battle drags, the more enemies we encounter)," he said. He also admitted there were "too many factors" in the Aug. 12 incident, such that the military could not use its artillery and close air support. "
Pag sa labanan maraming factors
na naglalaro. Kung minsan hindi mo inaasahan. Ito [ang] nakakaapekto sa resulta ng labanan (In such close fights like last Wednesday, there are unexpected factors that crop up, and that affects the results of the fighting)," he said.
- GMANews.TV 
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