9 Sayyaf bandits killed in Sulu clashes

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Nine members of the Abu Sayyaf including two wives of the group’s leaders were killed during clashes between government troops and the bandits since last Sunday in Maimbung, Sulu, the military said.

Some 15 other bandits were wounded in the ongoing operations launched by the Marines Special Operations Group (MSOG) under 64th Marine Company.

Among those killed in the encounter at sitio Tundun, Barangay Ipil, Maimbung town were the wives of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Jihad Idang Susukan and Aktar Susukan.

The Marines Special Operations Group initially attacked the Abu Sayyaf group about 4:30 a.m Sunday and resulted in four militants killed and seven high-powered rifles recovered.

Government troops launched the offensive last week and had reportedly resulted in the death of 24 Abu Sayyaf members and 21 others wounded.

At least 28 soldiers were also wounded in the latest clashes.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed that eliminating the Abu Sayyaf and stopping its kidnap-for-ransom activities is a complicated issue that cannot be solved by military force alone.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla admitted that the government had to address poverty that some people want to end through easy money obtained clandestinely.

“The Armed Forces has repeatedly mentioned that the solution to the systemic problem besetting this part of our country does not lie on military solutions alone,” Padilla said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum held at Café Adriatico in Manila last week.

“First we’re trying to address the lawlessness. Second, the capacity or capability of these threats that are existing. We are trying to make their worlds smaller now by our continuing, unrelentless operations not only on land but also at sea,” he said.

Padilla, however, said the Abu Sayyaf and the kidnapping problem stems from the desire for easy money earned from criminal activities like abducting people and demanding ransom.

“And the money that they get out of all these incidents is no joke. And it can sustain families for many months or years. That’s why it is hard for them to let go,” he noted.

“How do you change that mindset? We need to have a very comprehensive approach to the problem here that will seep into the fiber of the consciousness of the people,” he said.

Padilla expressed belief that one of the solutions could be the establishment of a good education program that will protect children from the “virus” infecting the minds of adults who have resorted to violence to earn money.

He said the government should provide opportunities for the people so that they will have alternatives like jobs that can sustain their families which should be enough to have them turn away from what they are doing and be afraid of the rule of law.

“I think the President is very much aware of this,” he added, citing for example how President Duterte met with some business leaders and had dinner with them in Malacañang to discuss the issue of possible public-private partnership in the Sulu archipelago.

Padilla said some corporations wishing to remain anonymous want to help and are already extending assistance in the medical area, power, and potential agricultural sources of livelihood.

He admitted, however, that such solutions cannot be rushed and should be done while the military and the police help ensure a secure environment.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) urged netizens to stop sharing video clips of the recovery of the body of German kidnap victim Juergen Gustav Kantner who was beheaded by Abu Sayyaf bandits.

“Kantner rightfully deserves human dignity even in such gruesome death while his family and friends deserve respect in this time of grief,” read the PNP statement released last Sunday. – With Michael Punongbayan, Lino de la Cruz