INDANAN, Sulu — Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said here yesterday President Arroyo has ordered government forces to finish off al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants now holed up in their lairs in Mindanao.
Esperon relayed the President’s marching orders during visits to troops in Bud Dahu here and in Bunbun in Patikul, also in Sulu.
The President also lauded government troops pursuing leaders of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the wake of a fresh offensive called "Oplan Ultimatum," which seeks to neutralize Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and top JI militants Dulmatin, who goes by one name, and Umar Patek.
Dulmatin and Patek are widely believed to be the masterminds behind the deadly bombings in the resort island of Bali in Indonesia in October 2002 in which over 200 people, most of them foreign tourists, were killed.
"Our Commander-in-Chief (has given orders) to relentlessly pursue the terrorists until they are neutralized," Esperon said, adding the President was in constant contact with top military officials for updates on the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf and the JI.
He said they believe Janjalani, Dulmatin and Patek have not slipped out of Sulu.
"We are trying our best to get them," Esperon said, adding troops are watching other possible landing points in the island-province as the wanted terrorists’ escape route.
The military was also confirming reports that Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad has been killed when combined Marines and Army troops assaulted their camp on Hill Tubura.