3 more Army battalions to be deployed in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines - The military will deploy thousands of extra troops to join the fight against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año said three more battalions will be deployed to add to the six Army and two Marine battalions currently hunting down the bandits in the troubled island province.

“Within a few days,” Año said on the additional troop deployment.

The Abu Sayyaf led by Isnilon Hapilon challenged the military, threatening to mount more attacks head on against what they called “Duterte soldiers.”

President Duterte has ordered an all out military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf amid the mounting casualties among troops fighting the bandit group since last week.

The bandits have killed 15 government troops in fierce fighting late Monday in Patikul, Sulu.

“Once the three battalions have arrived, we are going to assess if we are going to add more troops in order to hasten the accomplishment of our mission,” Año said.

On top of the 5,000 troops already based in Sulu and 2,500 in Basilan, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has pulled out troops from the Visayas, Luzon and other areas of Mindanao and deployed them to the two island provinces with the specific mission to seek and destroy the Abu Sayyaf.

The AFP has also deployed naval assets in Sulu to choke off possible escape routes of the bandits.

This is so far the biggest deployment of the AFP running after some 481 Abu Sayyaf gunmen who were identified by validated reports.

AFP chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya ordered Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Mayoralgo de la Cruz to sustain the offensive against the bandit group in Sulu.

De la Cruz, for his part, said the troops are gaining the momentum.

“The operation was gaining momentum since we managed to get closer and pushing the Abu Sayyaf group like ping pong ball to different points of the attacking forces until that unfortunate day,” De la Cruz said, referring to last Monday’s clashes that left 15 soldiers dead.

De la Cruz said he did not even consider last Monday’s incident as a setback in their operations against the bandits.

He said Monday’s encounter also left six more militants killed, adding to 36 the total number of Abu Sayyaf fatalities.

The military suffered 15 killed and 29 wounded, De la Cruz said.

De la Cruz stressed the necessity to pour in more troops in the theater of operations.

He said the Abu Sayyaf splintered into smaller groups to evade pursuing government troops.

“That’s why we poured more troops to look for them,” he said.

Retaliation

Meanwhile, security had been tightened in Duterte’s hometown in Davao City against the possibility of diversionary attacks by the Abu Sayyaf.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also placed all its personnel nationwide on alert at the seaports and harbors.

Duterte is bracing for possible retaliation from the Abu Sayyaf following his directive to intensify military offensives against the local terrorist group.

The President, however, is unfazed by the threat, stressing that government forces are capable of destroying the bandits.

“The Abu Sayyaf does not live by the laws of civilization. They are evil,” Duterte told the gathering of Jesus Anointed One in Davao City on Wednesday.

“Be on guard because we are hitting them hard. I expect some kind of retribution also from them – reprisal but just keep your cool. What you can dish out, I can do better ten times. I have an army. I have planes. You don’t have them,” he added. – With Roel Pareño, Alexis Romero, Edith Regalado, Jose Rodel Clapano, Evelyn Macairan