Military says it is closing in on Sayyaf kidnappers

Soldiers were closing in on suspected Abu Sayyaf lairs in Basilan province even as the government ponders a fresh demand by the extremist rebel group to swap two more hostages for new negotiators and an end to the military offensive.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) indicated, however, there will be no letup to the attack, saying President Arroyo has not changed her desire to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf bandits holding up to 26 Filipino and American hostages in the jungles of Basilan.

"They must be exterminated," AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said.

Another major showdown between the troops and the Abu Sayyaf loomed as ground commanders informed the President who visited Basilan on Monday that they have pinpointed the terrorists’ hideouts.

Adan said Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya sent a message to Mrs. Arroyo to call the troops back to barracks in exchange for the release of two more hostages.

Sabaya’s offer was contained in a letter handed to Mrs. Arroyo by freed Francis Ganzon, one of three Filipino captives freed late last week.

In his letter, Sabaya requested that the government appoint Justice Secretary Hernando Perez as go-between.

Adan said the Abu Sayyaf bandits were apparently feeling the pressure of the military assault.

"He wants the military to go away because his room for maneuver is getting smaller. We cannot allow them to escape. They must be exterminated," Adan stressed.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez also said the troops have virtually cornered Sabaya’s group. "It’s still a game of hide and seek, but their world is getting smaller and smaller. We have located them and our troops are closing in."

Meanwhile, Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani, earlier reported to have died after being wounded in a clash with government forces, is alive and has even married one of their hostages, police intelligence sources revealed.

It was not known when and where the marriage took place.

The sources said Janjalani paid P100,000 as dowry to the parents of the bride, reportedly a nurse who was among those snatched by the Abu Sayyaf terrorists during a raid of the Dr. Jose Maria Memorial Hospital in Lamitan town last June 2.

War costs P8M a week

An all-out war against Abu Sayyaf bandits holding some 26 Filipino and American hostages in the jungles of Basilan is proving costly for the cash-strapped government, a military official said yesterday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the government spends at least P8 million weekly to shoulder the cost of feeding, transporting and supplying ammunition to eight Marine and Army battalions who have been going after the bandits since May 27.

That’s more than P1 million a day for roughly 5,000 troops in search and destroy operations against some 400 extremists who have entrenched themselves in rugged jungle terrain. – Roel Pareño, Paolo Romero