Philippines' Arroyo calls off search for rebel's body

msnbc ^ | June 26

[maui_hawaii]

MANILA, June 26 — Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Wednesday she was calling off the six-day-long search for the body of rebel commander Abu Sabaya, after viewing U.S. spy plane footage of the gunbattle in which he is believed to have been killed.

Speaking to business leaders, Arroyo said U.S. spy planes recorded last week's sea gunbattle in which Sabaya, one of the Philippines' most hunted Muslim rebel leaders was believed killed by pursuing Filipino sailors.

The military said Sabaya, the most well known leader of the the Abu Sayyaf group linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network, was killed when a naval patrol rammed his boat and shot him at close range in a clash on Friday off the coast of southern Zamboanga del Norte province.

Sabaya, who was trying to escape from a military dragnet, fell into the sea after being hit. Searches by navy patrol boats and fishermen in the shark-infested Zamboanga coastal waters have failed to come up with a body.

''The American spy planes showed it all because they recorded it and I saw the movie,'' Arroyo said, apparently referring to unmanned surveillance aircraft equipped with detection cameras, which U.S. forces deployed in the country's south to help track down the Abu Sayyaf.

''I can't show you the movie because we cannot expose the details of the technological capabilities of the Americans,'' she said.

Arroyo also revealed that two rebel informers who had tipped off the military on Sabaya's escape plans wore special necklaces which flashed when viewed through night vision goggles so they would not be shot by government forces during the night-time gunbattle.

The military said the pair was on the same boat with Sabaya when the gunbattle broke out.

''They were given a necklace which flashed when our soldiers would turn on their krypton flashlights in their night vision equipment,'' Arroyo said, explaining how the two informers survived.

She said lights flashed from the necklaces which the informers wore on their chests and the pair then dived into the water as the fighting began.

It was ''perfect technology, perfect planning, perfect execution,'' Arroyo said.

She said she had told Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes to call off the search for Sabaya's body but that a small unit could be left behind to continue with the operation assisted by fishermen.

''The 50,000-peso ($1,000) reward is still there for the fishermen to look for him,'' Arroyo added, referring to the reward the military had put up for anyone locating Sabaya's body.

She said the bulk of the search party should now be pulled out to focus on the search for other Abu Sayyaf leaders.

Arroyo on Monday issued a cheque for five million pesos ($100,000) as reward for the two aides of Sabaya who alerted the military of their leader's plans to escape by sea.

[2banana]

Amazing what some backbone, courage and cash can accomplish

[SandfleaCSC]

Great, now we can't find Abu's body either. What are these Islamic nuts, are they Jedi's? Do they just vanish, leaving a pile of dirty laundry when they croak? Someone should call Penn & Teller and see if they can figure out the "Disappearing Muslim Trick".