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by Kazi Mahmood KUALA LUMPUR (Islam Online) - Blaming bad weather, a military operation by elite members of the Philippines army to rescue American hostage Jeffrey Schilling turned out unsuccessful.
The military ''is still confident that there will be news soon,'' referring to the attempt to rescue the 24-year-old Oakland, California, resident. Heavily armed men of the elite troop had advanced deep into the forest surrounding Sulu and had encircled the Abu Sabaya hideout - a faction of the Abu Sayyaf. Fighting was reported between the Philippine army and the Sabaya group, with the army claiming two Sabaya casualties. The Sabaya group is suspected to comprise of more than one hundred hardcore Abu Sayyaf members. The exchange of fire was lengthy and repeated, report says. ''Fighting is continuing,'' Mercado said, adding that troops had encircled the Abu Sayyaf camp in Luuk town and were moving in closer. The report confirms earlier reports that Marine troops were within close range of the hideout and poised to attack. ''We're really hoping that we can finish [the whole operation in Sulu] in the shortest possible time,'' Mercado said in a phone interview. ''We might need less than a week.'' Mercado's statements came amid mounting concern over the assault's toll on civilian lives, as well as clamor among Muslim and activist groups for the lifting of a news blackout on the Jolo offensive. Reports have confirmed that some civilians have started to assist the Abu Sayyaf group, helping them evade army searches. Civilians, mostly Muslims, have decided to take arms against the Filipino army, who have been indiscriminate in attacks against villagers. The government's recent attempts to rescue Schilling follow statements from Philippine cabinet officials stating uncertainty over the handling of the abduction since the American reportedly has close ties with the Abu Sayyaf. Mercado was tight-lipped on the details of ''operational matters,'' but was ''optimistic'' despite the failure of the military to meet its self-imposed deadline of one week to rescue a group of hostages and crush the Abu Sayyaf. ''The key here is for the naval blockade around Sulu to work and prevent the escape of the Abu Sayyaf,'' Mercado said. Abu Sabaya said last week that the Filipino army failed in crushing the Abu Sayyaf, stating that this failure was a good reason for the Philippine government to stop the ongoing offensive that has exacted a heavy toll on the civilian population. Slippery Sayyaf rebels The Philippine military claimed on Monday to have killed 103 Muslim guerillas in a massive hostage rescue bid and stressed that the 17 captives were all still alive. The head of the operation, Brigadier-General Narciso Abaya, made the statements during the first officially sanctioned media visit to the southern Jolo island. Abaya said the rescue operation, which went into its 10th day on Monday, had been "slow" because the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping group "enjoys mass-based support". "This is a very difficult operation," he said, comparing the search for the hostages to looking for the "proverbial needle in the haystack". But Abaya said the military believes the Abu Sayyaf force's core group of about 400 fighters "is still intact," because "they just keep on running, they don't want to fight". "We have a very elusive target," he said. "They know the terrain better than the military." The estimate of 103 Abu Sayyaf fatalities is based on military intelligence and includes an "actual body count" of about 51, he added. "As far as reports are concerned, all of the hostages are alive and they are in Jolo," Abaya said amid reports that Abu Sayyaf members who managed to penetrate a naval blockade around Jolo might have taken some of them away. President Joseph Estrada ordered more than 4,000 soldiers and police into Jolo on September 16th to end a humiliating five-month hostage crisis. The Abu Sayyaf gunmen were able to slip out of their strongholds in the early stage of the operations causing a military pursuit. Estrada and other officers said this helped explain why the operation exceeded the original timetable of three days to one week. Troops also have to contend with difficult terrain and unpredictable weather, they added. Food, medication in short supply In Jolo, Sulu assemblyman Hussin Amin said residents were facing shortages of food and medication. Prices of basic commodities like sugar, milk, rice and canned goods have risen in the capital by as much as 20% in the past few days. The naval quarantine of the island is depriving small fishermen of their usual fishing grounds and crippling Jolo's trade with outlying islands. Muslim religious leaders have been swamped with complaints against Philippine soldiers who have allegedly killed civilians suspected to be Abu Sayyaf supporters. Other complaints accuse the Philippine military with looting and burning villages. Ulama condemns rights abuses Members of the Jolo ulama have criticized what they call abuses of human rights taking place following the army invasion of the island. The Federation of Muslim Religious Leaders, Professionals and Youth in Jolo, asked Estrada to lift the ban on travel, information and communication - including the news blackout in Sulu. They also urged Estrada and the military to allow its members access to military-controlled areas to check alleged human rights abuses. ''The ban is a violation of the human rights of Sulu residents. This can be grounds for impeachment for President Estrada,'' Ustadz Saad Yusah, spokesperson of the Federation said. According to Yusah, the Federation will stage protests in Jolo unless the military lifts the ''undeclared martial law'' in Sulu. Yusah said Sulu residents were living in fear after the bodies of four alleged victims of ''summary executions'' were found in the capital town of Jolo last week. Police have no suspects, and have not identified the dead. |
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado said that a combination of heavy rain and rough terrain delayed the operation, but added that he expected the massive assault on the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu to be over in ''less than a week.'' 
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