Arroyo: Terrorists doomed to annihilation

Safety of ASEAN summit delegates assured

By Joel Guinto, Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 08:05pm (Mla time) 01/08/2007

JOLO, Sulu -- (4TH UPDATE) PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared on Monday that Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines were "doomed to annihilation" following the neutralization of five Abu Sayyaf members and an Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah militant in a sea encounter with the military over the weekend.

Speaking at a command conference in Camp Bautista here, Arroyo congratulated the military for the Tawi-Tawi operation, which she called a "stunning victory."

"This proves that the terrorist elements have nowhere to hide and are in fact doomed to annihilation," she said.

"I commend the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] for the successful operation against the Abu Sayyaf and the JI, which only proves that these terrorist elements have nowhere to hide and are in fact already doomed to annihilation," she said.

Military Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr., said the President gave orders during the command conference to "pursue these terrorists, and keep them off balance, if not neutralize them."

"We are confident we will see an end to these high-value targets, we will not allow them to leave Jolo. The initiative is on our side," Esperon said, referring to Al Qaeda-linked extremist leaders believed hiding in the island.

At the same time, Arroyo said that security forces were on watch to ensure the safety of participants in the ASEAN Summit in Cebu province this week.

"Our fight against terror goes hand in hand with the global and regional effort," said Arroyo who is here to inaugurate a USAID project and a military trauma hospital.

"And as we face the ASEAN summit, we would like to assure all our allies in the East Asia and beyond that the Filipino soldiery and people are on watch every hour of the day, determined to do their share to defeat terror for a more secure and safer world," she said.

She said the meetings in Cebu "would sustain the momentum in our collective fight against terror and in mopping up all forms of instability" that affected the region.

Some 7,000 policemen and 5,500 soldiers will secure the week-long regional leaders' meeting at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.

Arroyo was in the southern Philippines Monday where she inaugurated the USAID-GEM-MEDCO Parang Indanan Road Project in Barangay (village) Saldang, Parang in Sulu and attended the opening of the Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista Trauma Hospital at Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo, Sulu.

Arroyo's statement came after troops killed six Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a maritime clash in the south at the weekend.

One of those killed, Gulfran alias Abu Samur, was a reported trusted aide of JI explosives expert Dulmatin, one of the alleged masterminds of the 2002 Bali bombing hiding in Sulu with the local terrorist Abu Sayyaf group.

The other four fatalities were believed to be Abu Sayyaf sub-commanders.

Last December 27, remains of an alleged Abu Sayyaf commander believed to be Khadaffy Janjalani’s was dug up in Jolo.

Leaders from Japan, South Korea, China, India, Australia and New Zealand are arriving for a meeting with the ASEAN leaders.

The summits were originally scheduled to take place last December, but were postponed at the last minute over concerns about possible terrorist attacks, according to sources.

Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States have issued warnings that Al Qaeda-linked militants could stage attacks during the summit.

Troops are currently on a massive manhunt operation on southern Jolo Island to capture remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, a small gang of Islamic militants aiding Dulmatin and several other JI members.

Both groups are on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations.

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