Philippine Marines sent to finish off ASG, JI in Sulu, Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY: A ranking military official disclosed that some of the 1st Marine Brigade battalions will be redirected to Sulu instead of Basilan province from Lanao to help in the pursuit against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists in the area.

The switching of deployment between the Lanao-based marine and Basilan-based Army 103rd Infantry Brigade was recently ordered by Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr.

The Marines were tasked to pursue the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan province, which is considered as the birthplace of the terrorist group.

Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) chief Commodore Geronimo Defensor said the next shipment of marine forces from Lanao would be sent to Sulu instead of Basilan as earlier planned.

The Abu Sayyaf top leaders and their followers fled from Basilan at the height of the conduct of joint RP-US military exercises in 2002 dubbed as Balikatan 02-1.

Defensor revealed that additional Navy forces were sent to Sulu following information that the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiah terrorists are planning to escape from the province due to the continuous military offensive against them.

The Navy forces are tasked to cordon the province of Sulu to prevent the escape of the terrorists to another place.

Among the high-value targets of the continuous military offensive are the remaining top Abu Sayyaf leaders Isnilon Hapilon, Radulan Sahiron and Al-Bader Parad and Jemaah Islamiah terrorists Dulmatin and Umar Patek.

Four Abu Sayyaf men were killed in separate clashes on Monday with government troops in Mount Kausukan, Luuk and Mount Daho, Talipao, Sulu.

--PNA