Abu Sayyaf’s new generation threatens Philippines

AP ^ | March 14, 2009

[Tailgunner Joe]

MANILA, Philippines -- Not long ago, the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group was dismissed as all but dead, thanks to a much-heralded joint effort against terrorism by the U.S. and the Philippine military. Now there is fear that the Abu Sayyaf may be coming back.

The group is blamed for a spate of kidnappings in recent months, including the latest -- that of a Sri Lankan peace worker on southern Basilan Island last month. Abu Sayyaf raised more than $1.5 million last year through ransoms, and its ranks rose to 400 members last year from 383 in 2007, a confidential government report noted. Also, new leaders are rising to take the place of those captured by U.S.-backed troops.

The rebirth of Abu Sayyaf raises renewed fears of terrorism. So far, Abu Sayyaf has focused on raising money through kidnappings, but it is likely to pursue high-profile assaults to reassert its stature as a terror group, the report noted. Abu Sayyaf also has allowed foreign militants, mostly members of the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, to make the region their home.

"As long as they are there, they can provide safe haven for Jemaah Islamiyah where they can train the next generation of bombers and terrorists. That's why they're a threat," said Col. William Coultrup, who heads the U.S. counterterrorism forces in Mindanao.

Abu Sayyaf, which means "Father of the Swordsman" in Arabic, was founded in 1991 in Basilan province and supported by Asian and Middle Eastern radical groups. It came to the attention of the U.S. in 2001, when the group kidnapped three Americans among 20 people taken from a tony Philippine resort.

[Tailgunner Joe]

The United States has hundreds of troops, including special forces, based in the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines to counter rebels from the Abu Sayyaf, a radical Islamic group linked to al Qaeda and the regional Jemaah Islamiah.

The soldiers are banned from combat under an agreement with Manila but provide training and logistics support to Philippine troops.

This relationship, which was launched in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, ended a period of frosty ties after the U.S. military was asked to vacate its bases in 1992.

"The United States is only interested in Mindanao, that seems to be the lynchpin of their strategy right now and that's a very narrow outlook insofar as we are concerned," said Philippine military analyst Rex Robles. - Reuters