Posted on 12/30/2003 9:10:22 AM PST by miltonim
The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the southern Philippines has been dealt a severe blow with the capture of their top leader, Galib Andang. This is good news for Christians, Christian workers, and Western tourists to the region.
Abu Sayyaf finances itself through a kidnap-for-ransom scheme.
Philippine military nabbed Galib Andang, popularly known as Commander Robot, after a gun battle in southern Jolo island late Sunday, as he was planning yet another abduction.
Back in May, 2001, the US government had offered bounty totaling five million dollars for the capture of Abu Sayyaf leaders for their act in kidnapping American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham.
"Galib Andang was planning another kidnapping in Jolo. With our speedy intelligence information, we learned what he was planning and we prevented what could have been another problem," Abaya told The Age, an Australian newspaper.
Andang, who was wounded in the leg in the battle, was taken to Manila where he was presented to President Gloria Arroyo, who has vowed to destroy the Abu Sayyaf with help from the United States.
Arroyo said Andang's capture, through a public tip-off, was a "significant victory" over the Abu Sayyaf, according to her spokesman Ignacio Bunye.
"This is a big step in our fight against terrorism and a big step in the international fight against terror," said Abaya, who flew to the south to be briefed on the ongoing military operations against the kidnapping gang.
The Abu Sayyaf is a group of Islamic militants branded as terrorists by Washington and Manila.
It is said to have links with the al-Qaeda network of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.
The group is feared for its kidnapping sprees and bomb attacks against foreigners and Christians carried out in the southern Philippines for more than a decade.
Members often behead their victims if ransom demands are not met.
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