Gov't deploys 7,000 men to fight against the Abu Sayyaf group

There are about 7,000 brave soldiers in Jolo, Sulu to fight around the 400 to 500 members of the Abu Sayyaf group (ASG).

That in every ASG member is equivalent or versus to 14 soldiers.

This is the biggest force tapped against the Abu Sayyaf group since it was formed in the early 1990s, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya said.

Visaya also said that one of the biggest challenges that the soldiers would encounter in fighting with ASG is dealing the unknown jungle of Sulu which the soldiers are not familiar, they are all coming from different places of the Philippines.

“But we can overcome as time goes by,” Visaya said.

Since the ASG has already established a good relationship with the people in the communities like they were giving money from ransom, they will be lacking the support from the people who are living there, Visaya added.

Visaya said he personally met with local chief executives to appeal to them so they won’t support the Abu Sayyaf group.

In a report told to CNN Philippines that the massive deployment of soldiers to fight against the Abu Sayyaf is not new anymore and it was also the strategy of the previous administrations and still failed to win or eliminate the ASG, Sulu Governor Toto Tan said.

But the AFP is determined to accomplish the decades-old mission this time.

“The AFP is committed to use all the resources of the AFP para matapos na talaga ito,” Visaya said.

However, since last week there were already 15 soldiers and 30 Abu Sayyaf members were killed in the military operations.

AFP Spokesman BGen. Restituto Padila said on a report that because of this fight, at least 2,000 families or 6,000 individuals already been evacuated.

Government troops like the AFP, the Philippine National Police and the Coast Guard already met together on Monday to ensure the security in the country, Visaya stated.

Knowing Abu Sayyaf, though they are just a small group of people, the ASG is considered as the “most terrifying Muslim extremist group in the Philippines,” the international security analyst Prof. Rommel Banlaoi said.

The ASG are known doing ransom kidnappings, beheading hostages and bombings inside the country.

Source: CNNPH

Duterte's Reaction to Beheaded Canadian

Zamboanga City- Another foreign national from Canada didn't escape the deadly hands of Abu Sayyaf kidnappers after failing them the ransom money of P600 Million.

The victim was identified as Robert Hall, a Canadian, beheaded Monday, 13th of June by his abductor. The Spokesperson of Abu Sayyaf, phone called the local media yesterday that the given time till 3:00pm has already passed and said that the abducted has already been killed.

According to President Elect Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte's spokesperson Salvador Panelo they already have talked about the murder with the Canadian citizen yesterday, June 14, he said that Duterte "would be outraged" by the decapitating of another foreigner in the country.

"But since he is against all forms of criminality and illegality, of course he would be outraged by that fact," Panelo said.

He added that as of the moment, the hostage-taking incident is still mainly a concern of the Aquino administration.

Panelo also stated, "But the moment he assumes the presidency, I'm sure there will be a swift and fast reaction to this situation."

"Duterte is always against hostage-taking incidents. Duterte also believes in a 'no-ransom policy." Panelo explained.

[button size="medium" url="" text="Source" target="" color="blue" ] [button size="medium" url="http://www.rappler.com/nation/136391-duterte-beheaded-canadian-abu-sayyaf-panelo" text="rappler" text="rappler" target="" color="green-tosca" ]