US FORCES HELPING IN OFFENSIVES VS MILF (tags)
Moro group on Tuesday said US forces have been helping in the offensives against Moro Islamic Liberation front rebels in Maguindanao. But the military denied it even in the wake of photos taken by the Philippine Daily Inquirer which showed US forces holding an unmanned aerial vehicle during the early days of the offensive against the forces of MILF Commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Wahid Tundok.
The Philippine armed forces fielded more than 10 warships around Sulu in what could be the single biggest naval blockade meant to trap Abu Sayyaf terrorists in their lair. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said yesterday the naval blockade formed part of the "small unit tactics" designed to eventually wipe out local and foreign terrorists holed out in Sulu, as part of the military’s ongoing offensive dubbed Oplan Ultimatum
RP wants US help in routing communists (tags)
The Philippine government will welcome US counterinsurgency assistance against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA), Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Thursday. Ermita hinted at growing US involvement in the Philippines’ internal security affairs while discussing the coming joint Balikatan war games in Jolo. Interviewed after his sendoff of President Arroyo, who left Thursday morning for Davos, Switzerland, Ermita said the Chief Executive is glad that both counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns are “moving forward, very smoothly.”
CIA, FBI, Aussie agents operating in south — AFP (tags)
Several American and Australian intelligence agents are in Mindanao to monitor terrorist activities, military sources here claimed yesterday. "Mindanao is crawling with CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and even Australian federal agents," a source told The STAR.
More Philippine troops sent to hunt for Janjalani, JI operatives (tags)
News sources and the Philippine military said Tuesday it will send another 2,000 troops to Jolo to bolster a US-backed four-month offensive to capture the country's top terror suspects. According ot news sources, about 6,000 Army troops and Marines have been searching for Indonesians Umar Patek and Dulmatin, suspected members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network, who fled to the southern Philippines after allegedly plotting the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani since August 2006.
Sulu offensives to continue through Ramadan – AFP Chief (tags)
Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. announced Monday. that military offensives against suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines will continue throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
US to beef up hunt for Abu-JI terrorists (tags)
The United States is increasing its support for the ongoing military offensive in Sulu against the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah to hasten the capture of Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani and Umar Patek and Dulmatin of JI, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz said here yesterday. Cruz said Rear Adm. William VanMeter Alford Jr., chief of staff of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), made the commitment in a meeting with President Arroyo during her stop here on Sunday.
NPA'S BEATEN BY 2010- AFP (tags)
Government forces are geared up to accomplish their mission to neutralize the communist New People’s Army (NPA) before President Arroyo ends her term by 2010, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon declared yesterday
NO RAMADAN LET-UP FOR MUSLIM MILITANTS -MILITARY (tags)
The Philippine military will continue its offensive against Al Qaeda-linked militants during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a military spokesman said Tuesday. Some 5,000 troops backed by intelligence gathering from the United States military have been locked in intense fighting with Abu Sayyaf militants thought to be sheltering Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bombers on the southern island of Jolo.
MINDANAO:80 SAYYAF KILLED IN PATIKUL SULU FIGHTING (tags)
Military officials said Wednesday that more than 80 members of the Abu Sayyaf have been killed in three days of fierce fighting in Jolo, where soldiers were trying to capture two Jemaah Islamiah leaders linked to the 2002 Bali bombings.
US intelligence guides hunters of Abu Sayyaf (tags)
Guided by intelligence given by the US Army, Filipino troops on Thursday continued their assault on suspected lairs of the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo for the third straight day. The military is hot on the trail of Khadaffy Janjalani, the Abu Sayyaf chieftain, and two Jemaah Islamiya leaders, Umar Patek and Dulmatin.
Sulu air, ground offensive continues (tags)
The Navy captured four suspected Abu Sayyaf supporters yesterday as they tried to breach a naval blockade of Jolo, Sulu to flee the military’s artillery bombardment and air strikes, which continued for the third day yesterday. The offensive is targeting Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants Umar Patek and Dulmatin who are wanted for the Bali bombings in Indonesia in October 2002.